Tourism in Italy

People have visited Italy for centuries, yet the first to visit the peninsula for touristic reasons were aristocrats during the Grand Tour, beginning in the late 17th century, and flourishing in the 18th century.

Rome, as the capital of the powerful and influential Roman Empire, attracted thousands to the city and country from all over the empire, which included most of the Mediterranean, Northern Africa, mainland Great Britain (England) and parts of Western Asia. Traders and merchants came to Italy from several different parts of the world. When the empire fell in 476 AD, Rome was no longer the epicentre of European politics and culture; on the other hand, it was the base of the papacy, which then governed the growing Christian religion, meaning that Rome remained one of Europe's major places of pilgrimage. Pilgrims, for centuries and still today, would come to the city, and that would have been the early equivalent of "tourism" or "religious tourism". The trade empires of Venice, Pisa and Genoa meant that several traders, businessmen and merchants from all over the world would also regularly come to Italy. In the 16th and early 17th centuries, with the height of the Renaissance, several students came to Italy to study Italian architecture, such as Inigo Jones.

Real "tourism" only affected Italy in the second half of the 17th century, with the beginning of the Grand Tour. This was a period in which European aristocrats, many of whom were British, visited parts of Europe; Italy, Greece and other Mediterranean places were amongst the most popular. This was in order to study ancient architecture and the local culture.[15] The Grand Tour was in essence triggered by the book Voyage to Italy, by Roman Catholic priest Richard Lassels, and published in 1670.[16][17] Due to the Grand Tour, tourism became even more prevalent – making Italy one of the most desired destinations for millions of people.[18] Once inside what would be modern-day Italy, these tourists would begin by visiting Turin for a short while. On the way there, Milan was also a popular stop, yet a trip to the city was not considered essential, and several passed by, or simply stayed for a short period of time. If a person came via boat, then they would remain a few days in Genoa. Yet, the main destination in Northern Italy was Venice, which was considered a vital stop,[16] as well as cities around it such as Verona, Vicenza and Padua.

As the Tour went on, Tuscan cities were also very important itinerary stops. Florence was a major attraction, and other Tuscan towns, such as Siena, Pisa, Lucca and San Gimignano, were also considered important destinations. The most prominent stop in Central Italy, however, was Rome, a major centre for the arts and culture, as well as an essential city for a Grand Tourist.[16] Later, they would go down to the Bay of Naples,[16] and after their discovery in 1710, Pompeii and Herculaneum were popular too. Sicily was considered a significant part of the trail, and several, such as Goethe, visited the island.

Throughout the 17th to 18th centuries, the Grand Tour was mainly reserved for academics or the elite. Nevertheless, circa 1840,[16] rail transport was introduced and the Grand Tour started to fall slightly out of vogue; hence, the first form of mass tourism was introduced. The 1840s saw the period in which the Victorian middle classes toured the country. Several Americans were also able to visit Italy, and many more tourists came to the peninsula. Places such as Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Sicily still remained the top attractions.

Like many other Europeans, Italians rely heavily on public transport. Italy is a relatively small country and distances are reduced.[19]

As the century progressed, fewer cultural visits were made, and there was an increase in tourists coming for Italy's nature and weather. The first seaside resorts, such as those in the Ligurian coast, around Venice, coastal Tuscany and Amalfi, became popular. This vogue of summer holidays heightened in the fin-de-siècle epoch, when numerous "Grand Hotels" were built (including places such as Sanremo, Lido di Venezia, Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi). Islands such as Capri, Ischia, Procida and Elba grew in popularity, and the Northern lakes, such as Lake Como, Maggiore and Garda were more frequently visited. Tourism to Italy remained very popular until the late-1920s and early-1930s, when, with the Great Depression and economic crisis, several could no longer afford to visit the country; the increasing political instability meant that fewer tourists came. Only old touristic groups, such as the Scorpioni, remained alive.

After a big slump in tourism beginning from approximately 1929 and lasting after World War II, Italy returned to its status as a popular resort, with the Italian economic miracle and raised living standards; films such as La Dolce Vita were successful abroad, and their depiction of the country's perceived idyllic life helped raise Italy's international profile. By this point, with higher incomes, Italians could also afford to go on holiday; coastline resorts saw a soar in visitors, especially in Romagna. Many cheap hotels and pensioni (hostels) were built in the 1960s, and with the rise of wealth, by now, even a working-class Italian family could afford a holiday somewhere along the coast. The late-1960s also brought mass popularity to mountain holidays and skiing; in Piedmont and the Aosta Valley, numerous ski resorts and chalets started being built. The 1970s also brought a wave of foreign tourists to Italy in search of a sentimental trip Villoresi old charm -The Trip to Italy, since Mediterranean destinations saw a rise in global visitors.

Despite this, by the late-1970s and early-1980s, economic crises and political instability meant that there was a significant slump in the Italian tourist industry, as destinations in the Far East or South America rose in popularity.[20] Yet, by the late-1980s and early-1990s, tourism saw a return to popularity, with cities such as Milan becoming more popular destinations. Milan saw a rise in tourists since it was ripening its position as a worldwide fashion capital.

Topographic map of Italy

Italy is located in southern Europe and it is also considered a part of western Europe,[21] between latitudes 35° and 47° N, and longitudes 6° and 19° E. To the north, Italy borders Switzerland, France, Austria and Slovenia and is roughly delimited by the Alpine watershed, enclosing the Po Valley and the Venetian Plain. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula crossed by the Apennines and the two Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to many smaller islands. The sovereign states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy,[22][23] while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland.[24]

Italy is part of the Northern Hemisphere. The country's total area is 301,230 square kilometres (116,306 sq mi), of which 294,020 km² (113,522 sq mi) is land and 7,210 km² (2,784 sq mi) is water.[25] Including islands, Italy has a coastline of 7,900 km (4,900 mi) on the Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, Sea of Sardinia and Strait of Sicily, and borders shared with France (488 km (303 mi)), Austria (430 km (267 mi)), Slovenia (232 km (144 mi)) and Switzerland (740 km (460 mi)). San Marino (39 km (24 mi)) and Vatican City (3.2 km (2.0 mi)), both enclaves, account for the remainder.[25]

Map of the climate of Italy

The climate of Italy is influenced by the large body of water of the Mediterranean Sea that surrounds Italy on every side except the north. These seas constitute a reservoir of heat and humidity for Italy. Within the southern temperate zone, they determine a particular climate called Mediterranean climate with local differences due to the geomorphology of the territory, which tends to make its mitigating effects felt, especially in high pressure conditions.

Because of the length of the peninsula and the mostly mountainous hinterland, the climate of Italy is highly diverse. The inland northern areas of Italy (for example Turin, Milan, and Bologna) have a relatively cool, mid-latitude version of the Humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), while the coastal areas of Liguria and the peninsula south of Florence generally fit the Mediterranean climate profile (Köppen climate classification Csa).[26]

Conditions on the coast are different from those in the interior, particularly during winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer. Between the north and south there can be a considerable difference in temperature, above all during the winter: on some winter days it can be −2 °C (28 °F) and snowing in Milan, while it is 8 °C (46.4 °F) in Rome and 20 °C (68 °F) in Palermo. Temperature differences are less extreme in the summer.

Semi-temporary data on tourist presences in 2018

According to regional data, in 2018 tourism presences in Italy amounted to 429 million (212.5 million residents and 216.5 million non-residents).[36]

With 69.23 million nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments, Veneto has the highest number of visitors and ranks sixth in Europe.[37][38]

Below is a table with the most visited regions in Italy (data as of 2018)

Apulia

Basilicata

Calabria

Sicily

Molise

Campania

Abruzzo

Lazio

Umbria

Marche

Tuscany

Sardinia

Emilia-Romagna

Liguria

Piedmont

Friuli-
Venezia Giulia

Aosta
Valley

Trentino-
Alto Adige

Veneto

Lombardy

Adriatic Sea

Ionian Sea

Mediterranean Sea

Tyrrhenian Sea

Ligurian Sea

# Rank	Region	# of nights in 2018
1	Veneto	69.229.094
2	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol	47.618.085
3	Tuscany	41.152.681
4	Emilia-Romagna	40.647.799
5	Lombardy	39.115.354
6	Lazio	36.684.847
7	Campania	21.689.412
8	Apulia	15.197.186
9	Liguria	15.183.243
10	Sicily	15.135.259
11	Piedmont	15.100.768
12	Sardinia	14.940.111
13	Marche	9.656.538
14	Calabria	9.212.630
15	Friuli-Venezia Giulia	9.022.550
16	Abruzzo	6.193.473
17	Umbria	6.081.647
18	Aosta Valley	3.606.308
19	Basilicata	2.603.624
20	Molise	482.051
Total		428.844.937

Venice

Bolzano

Rome

Trento

Verona

Rimini

Milan

Florence

Naples

Brescia

Padua

Livorno

Sassari

Turin

Ravenna

Salerno

Savona

Grosseto

Udine

Forlì-Cesena

Siena

Lucca

Pisa

Belluno

Como

Ferrara

Lecce

Perugia

Bologna

Foggia

Genoa

Aosta

Messina

Teramo

Pesaro-Urbino

Cosenza

Imperia

Verbania

Palermo

Ancona

Location of the 40 most visited provinces/metropolitan cities of Italy

Below is a table with the most visited province/metropolitan cities in Italy (data as of 2017)

Rank	Province/Metropolitan City	# of nights in 2017[35]	of whom foreign visitors[35]	Region
1	Venice	37,042,454	27,477,075	Veneto
2	Bolzano/Bozen	32,400,662	22,125,350	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
3	Rome	29,833,225	7,046,098	Lazio
4	Trento	17,776,030	7,412,103	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
5	Verona	17,293,792	13,388,082	Veneto
6	Rimini	15,967,490	3,808,354	Emilia-Romagna
7	Milan	15,468,199	9,291,198	Lombardy
8	Florence	14,716,466	10,780,968	Tuscany
9	Naples	13,161,395	7,247,964	Campania
10	Brescia	10,463,688	7,472,887	Lombardy
11	Livorno	8,663,572	3,491,172	Tuscany
12	Sassari	7,492,538	4,162,225	Sardinia
13	Turin	7,046,219	1,842,052	Piedmont
14	Ravenna	6,698,702	1,381,666	Emilia-Romagna
15	Salerno	6,029,649	2,098,781	Campania
16	Savona	5,717,487	1,471,811	Liguria
17	Grosseto	5,714,546	1,601,673	Tuscany
18	Padua	5,479,110	2,426,489	Veneto
19	Udine	5,371,339	3,027,318	Friuli-Venezia Giulia
20	Forlì-Cesena	5,357,398	1,027,558	Emilia-Romagna
21	Lecce	5,048,739	949,521	Apulia
22	Siena	4,928,092	2,880,531	Tuscany
23	Perugia	4,689,356	1,699,019	Umbria
24	Bologna	4,607,456	2,101,001	Emilia-Romagna
25	Foggia	4,503,604	697,073	Apulia
26	Genoa	4,082,817	1,945,743	Liguria
27	Belluno	3,806,806	1,208,331	Veneto
28	Aosta/Aoste	3,599,402	1,434,422	Aosta Valley
29	Lucca	3,546,044	1,696,020	Tuscany
30	Messina	3,493,859	2,153,932	Sicily
31	Teramo	3,419,387	523,718	Abruzzo
32	Pesaro and Urbino	3,295,759	729,067	Marche
33	Cosenza	3,290,418	369,693	Calabria
34	Imperia	3,202,619	1,324,925	Liguria
35	Verbania	3,095,668	2,443,754	Piedmont
36	Como	3,088,807	2,375,038	Lombardy
37	Pisa	3,032,756	1,632,412	Tuscany
38	Ferrara	3,020,136	1,142,220	Emilia-Romagna
39	Palermo	2,981,947	1,703,615	Sicily
40	Ancona	2,954,206	536,167	Marche
	rest of Italy	79,247,316	42,531,760
Total		420,629,155	210,658,786

Below is a table with the most visited cities in Italy (data as of 2018)[39]

# Rank	City	Region	Province/Metropolitan city	Visitors
1	Rome	Lazio	Rome	28,992,098
2	Venice	Veneto	Venice	12,118,298
3	Milan	Lombardy	Milan	12,058,835
4	Florence	Tuscany	Florence	10,592,202
5	Rimini	Emilia-Romagna	Rimini	7,460,300
6	Cavallino-Treporti	Veneto	Venice	6,261,962
7	Jesolo	Veneto	Venice	5,553,074
8	San Michele al Tagliamento	Veneto	Venice	5,133,279
9	Caorle	Veneto	Venice	4,290,230
10	Turin	Piedmont	Turin	3,800,003
11	Naples	Campania	Naples	3,684,905
12	Riccione	Emilia-Romagna	Rimini	3,630,318
13	Lignano Sabbiadoro	Friuli-Venezia Giulia	Udine	3,573,934
14	Lazise	Veneto	Verona	3,542,695
15	Cervia	Emilia-Romagna	Ravenna	3,539,106
16	Cesenatico	Emilia-Romagna	Forlì-Cesena	3,429,222
17	Bologna	Emilia-Romagna	Bologna	3,059,546
18	Sorrento	Campania	Naples	2,744,718
19	Ravenna	Emilia-Romagna	Ravenna	2,744,504
20	Verona	Veneto	Verona	2,495,943
21	Peschiera del Garda	Veneto	Verona	2,414,952
22	Comacchio	Emilia-Romagna	Ferrara	2,333,311
23	Bellaria-Igea Marina	Emilia-Romagna	Rimini	2,227,716
24	Bardolino	Veneto	Verona	2,082,535
25	Abano Terme	Veneto	Padua	1,949,124
26	Vieste	Apulia	Foggia	1,922,034
27	Genoa	Liguria	Genoa	1,907,159
28	Pisa	Tuscany	Pisa	1,882,097
29	Cattolica	Emilia-Romagna	Rimini	1,868,684
30	Montecatini Terme	Tuscany	Pistoia	1,703,613
31	Padua	Veneto	Padua	1,650,362
32	Castelrotto	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol	Bolzano	1,584,033
33	Riva del Garda	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol	Trento	1,570,248
34	Palermo	Sicily	Palermo	1,454,795
35	Grado	Friuli-Venezia Giulia	Gorizia	1,398,260
36	Chioggia	Veneto	Venice	1,383,199
37	Castiglione della Pescaia	Tuscany	Grosseto	1,360,861
38	Forio	Campania	Naples	1,327,686
39	Selva di Val Gardena	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol	Bolzano	1,309,869
40	Limone sul Garda	Lombardy	Brescia	1,292,513
41	Ischia	Campania	Naples	1,278,909
42	Sirmione	Lombardy	Brescia	1,237,340
43	Arzachena	Sardinia	Sassari	1,206,775
44	Livigno	Lombardy	Sondrio	1,183,014
45	Badia	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol	Bolzano	1,165,523
46	San Vincenzo	Tuscany	Livorno	1,145,133
47	Orbetello	Tuscany	Grosseto	1,144,567
48	Assisi	Umbria	Perugia	1,141,961
49	Alghero	Sardinia	Sassari	1,128,419
50	Bibbona	Tuscany	Livorno	1,124,535

Below is a table with the most visited archaeological sites and museums in Italy (data as of 2019)[40][41]

#	Site	City	Visitors	Region
1	Archaeological Park of the Colosseum	Rome	7,617,649	Lazio
2	Vatican Museums	Rome	6,756,000	Vatican City
3	Uffizi	Florence	4,391,861	Tuscany
4	Archaeological Park of Pompeii	Pompei	3,933,079	Campania
5	Galleria dell'Accademia	Florence	1,704,776	Tuscany
6	Castel Sant'Angelo	Rome	1,207,091	Lazio
7	Museo Egizio	Turin	853,320	Piedmont
8	Palace of Venaria	Venaria Reale	837,093	Piedmont
9	Royal Palace of Caserta	Caserta	728,231	Campania
10	Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este	Tivoli	721,574	Lazio
11	National Archaeological Museum	Naples	670,594	Campania
12	Bargello	Florence	644,569	Tuscany
13	Galleria Borghese	Rome	572,976	Lazio
14	Archaeological Park of Herculaneum	Ercolano	558,962	Campania
15	Royal Museums of Turin	Turin	492,049	Piedmont
16	Cenacolo Vinciano	Milan	445,728	Lombardy
17	Archaeological Park of Paestum	Paestum	443,743	Campania
18	Pinacoteca di Brera	Milan	417,976	Lombardy
19	Ducal Palace	Mantua	346,462	Lombardy
20	Museo Nazionale Romano	Rome	323,750	Lazio
21	Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica	Rome	322,099	Lazio
22	Venice National Archaeological Museum	Venice	316,283	Veneto
23	Scaligero Castle	Sirmione	308,459	Lombardy
24	Miramare Castle	Trieste	307,177	Friuli-Venezia Giulia
25	Gallerie dell'Accademia	Venice	304,999	Veneto
26	Galleria Nazionale delle Marche	Urbino	272,521	Marche
27	Royal Palace of Naples	Naples	272,116	Campania
28	Castel del Monte	Andria	269,794	Apulia
29	Castel Sant'Elmo	Naples	266,971	Campania
30	Baths of Caracalla	Rome	258,486	Lazio
31	Museo di Capodimonte	Naples	252,770	Campania

Below is a table with the most visited churches in Italy[42]

#	Church	City	Region
1	St. Peter's Basilica	Rome	Vatican City
2	Milan Cathedral	Milan	Lombardy
3	Florence Cathedral	Florence	Tuscany
4	Sistine Chapel	Rome	Vatican City
5	Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua	Padua	Veneto
6	Basilica of Saint Mary Major	Rome	Lazio
7	Basilica of Santa Maria Novella	Florence	Tuscany
8	Basilica of Santa Croce	Florence	Tuscany
9	Palermo Cathedral	Palermo	Sicily
10	Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran	Rome	Lazio
11	St Mark's Basilica	Venice	Veneto
12	Monreale Cathedral	Monreale	Sicily
13	Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere	Rome	Lazio
14	Basilica of San Nicola	Bari	Apulia
15	Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie	Milan	Lombardy
16	Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls	Rome	Lazio
17	Modena Cathedral	Modena	Emilia-Romagna
18	Naples Cathedral	Naples	Campania
19	Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli	Rome	Lazio
20	Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio	Milan	Lombardy

Most visitors arriving in Italy in 2018 were citizens of the following countries:[43]

Rank	Country	Number
1	Germany	12,184,502
2	United States	5,656,740
3	France	4,737,464
4	United Kingdom	3,781,882
5	China	3,200,847
6	Switzerland	2,925,321
7	Austria	2,612,706
8	Netherlands	2,197,870
9	Spain	2,175,267
10	Russia	1,616,902
11	Poland	1,472,832
12	Belgium	1,270,802
13	Australia	1,050,585
14	Japan	1,026,369
15	Brazil	1,025,070
16	South Korea	996,346
17	Canada	886,053
18	Czech Republic	839,207
19	Sweden	739,976
20	Argentina	708,987
21	Denmark	663,581
22	Israel	605,076
23	Hungary	565,206
24	India	555,223
25	Ireland	434,888
26	Turkey	402,569
27	Norway	398,908
28	Portugal	375,391
29	Mexico	358,626
30	Greece	341,716
Total international visitors		63,195,203
Total visitors		128,100,932

Royal Palace of Caserta

Scrovegni Chapel in Padua

View of the Parco degli Acquedotti in Rome, where there is a large concentration of Roman aqueducts

Italy is considered one of the birthplaces of western civilization and a cultural superpower.[45] Divided by politics and geography for centuries until its eventual unification in 1861, Italy's culture has been shaped by a multitude of regional customs and local centres of power and patronage.[46] Italy has had a central role in Western culture for centuries and is still recognised for its cultural traditions and artists. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, a number of courts competed to attract architects, artists and scholars, thus producing a legacy of monuments, paintings, music and literature. Despite the political and social isolation of these courts, Italy has made a substantial contribution to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe.[47] The country has had a broad cultural influence worldwide, also because numerous Italians emigrated to other places during the Italian diaspora.

The country boasts several world-famous cities. Rome was the ancient capital of the Roman Empire, the seat of the Pope of the Catholic Church, the capital of reunified Italy and the artistic, cultural and cinematographic centre of world relevance. Florence was the heart of the Renaissance, a period of great achievements in the arts at the end of the Middle Ages.[48] Other important cities include Turin, which used to be the capital of Italy, and is now one of the world's great centres of automobile engineering. Milan is the industrial and financial capital of Italy and one of the world's fashion capitals. Venice, the former capital of a major financial and maritime power from the Middle Ages to the early modern period, with its intricate canal system attracts tourists from all over the world, especially during the Venetian Carnival and the Biennale. Naples, with the largest historic city centre in Europe and the oldest continuously active public opera house in the world (Teatro di San Carlo). Bologna is the main transport hub of the country, as well as the home of the oldest university in the world and of a worldwide famous cuisine.[49]

Italian art has influenced several major movements throughout the centuries and has produced several great artists, including painters, architects and sculptors. Italy has a vast and important historical heritage,[50] both in terms of the number of artefacts, as well as in terms of conservation, and in terms of intrinsic artistic-cultural value. For example, Italy boasts the largest number of sites indicated in the UNESCO World Heritage List.[51] In general, the Italian cultural heritage is the largest in the world since it consists of 60% to 75% of all the artistic assets that exist on each continent,[11] with over 4,000 museums, 6,000 archaeological sites, 85,000 historic churches and 40,000 historic palaces, all subject to protection by the Italian Ministry of Culture.[12]

In 2013, the value of the artistic and cultural heritage alone was estimated at 5.4% of Italian GDP, approximately €75.5 billion, capable of employing approximately 1.4 million workers.[52] According to the Eurostat report of 2019, Italian tourism is first in Europe in terms of the number of jobs generated (4.2 million) and third for the average visitor expenditure and the share of revenues of the national sector compared to the European total (€48 billion, 12% of the total).[53][54]

Sea in Otranto, Apulia

Four different seas surround Italy in the Mediterranean Sea from three sides: the Adriatic Sea in the east,[55] the Ionian Sea in the south,[56] and the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west.[57] Including islands, Italy has a coastline of over 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi).[58] There are numerous famous coastal stretches.[59]

Italian coasts include the Amalfi Coast, Cilentan Coast, Cinque Terre, Coast of the Gods, Costa Verde, Riviera delle Palme, Riviera del Brenta, Costa Smeralda, Trabocchi Coast and Italian Riviera, in addition to the beaches Baia Domizia, Citara, Cala Fuili, Poetto, Spiaggia del Bacan and the bays Venetian Lagoon, Augusta Bay, Bay of Naples and Liscia di Vacca.

Noteworthy seaside locations includes Taormina, Alghero, Positano, Otranto, Tropea, Porto Santo Stefano, Sirolo, Vieste, Sperlonga, Cesenatico, Sestri Levante, Vasto, Termoli, Maratea, Bibione, Muggia, Amalfi, Atrani, Camogli, Capo Rizzuto, Castiglioncello, Cefalù, Gallipoli, Lerici, Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Pisciotta, Polignano a Mare, Portofino, Praiano, Ravello, Sciacca, Scilla, Sorrento, Vernazza.[59][60]

Beaches and cliffs are dotted with various accommodation facilities, such as bathing establishments, hotels and restaurants, resorts, agritourism, night and day gathering centres, parks, piers and marinas, as well as numerous historic and artistic centres, which combine an interest in the bathing activities to those for leisure, nature and art.

Submerged Archaeological Park of Baiae

Underwater tourism, both of a naturalistic type and linked to underwater archaeology, is also present.[61] For the naturalistic underwater type, noteworthy locations include the Portofino Marine Protected Area (located between the municipalities of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure), the island of Giglio, the island of Capraia, and the Maddalena archipelago.[61]

For the underwater archeology type, noteworthy locations include Taormina, Capo Passero, Ustica, Noto, Marettimo, Marzamemi, Santa Maria di Castellabate, Gaiola, Ischia, Campi Flegrei, Pantelleria, Syracuse, Gnatia, Isole Tremiti, Manduria and Isola di Capo Rizzuto.[61][62]

Lake Trasimeno

There are more than 1000 lakes in Italy,[63] the largest of which is Garda (370 km² or 143 sq mi). Other well-known subalpine lakes are Lake Maggiore (212.5 km² or 82 sq mi), whose most northerly section is part of Switzerland, Como (146 km² or 56 sq mi), one of the deepest lakes in Europe, Orta, Lugano, Iseo, and Idro.[64] Other notable lakes in the Italian peninsula are Trasimeno, Bolsena, Bracciano, Vico, Varano and Lesina in Gargano and Omodeo in Sardinia.[65]

Many Italian lakes are dotted with various accommodation facilities, such as hotels, restaurants and resorts, agritourisms, parks, piers and marinas, as well as numerous historic and artistic centers. On the Italian lakes it is possible to go windsurfing, canoeing and sailing, fishing and scuba diving, while on their surroundings it is possible to go hiking, either on foot or by bicycle.[66] Lakeside noteworthy locations include Mergozzo, Cannero Riviera, Cannobio, Avigliana, Orta San Giulio, Torno, Bellano, Menaggio, Castellaro Lagusello, Tignale, Malcesine, Gardone Riviera, Molveno, Tenno, Ledro, Panicale, Bolsena, Nemi, Trevignano Romano, Civitella Alfedena and Gavoi.[67]

International lake tourism in Italy has been able to establish due to the sounding board created by some celebrities of the international jet set, well known by the general public.[68] The purchase of a holiday residence along Lake Como by actor George Clooney was very publicized in 2001, as well as the marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in 2006 in the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, along Lake Bracciano.

Cortina d'Ampezzo in winter

Vesuvius, the only active volcano in Continental Europe.[69]

In Italy, there is both winter and summer mountain tourism. Despite a not particularly harsh climate compared to other countries located at more northern latitudes, Italy manages to attract tourists who practice winter sports due to the presence of numerous mountain ranges (the percentage of mountainous territory is around 35%).[70]

Among these are the Alps, the highest mountain range in Europe, and the Apennines, equipped with numerous winter sports and accommodation facilities. In the north the most famous ski resorts are in the Dolomites and Cortina d'Ampezzo, as well as in the Valle d'Aosta, while in the center-south Abruzzo is the mountainous region with major ski resorts in Roccaraso, Ovindoli, Pescasseroli and Campo Felice.[71]

As for mountain summer tourism, noteworthy locations includes Ponte di Legno, Courmayeur, Val di Fassa, Abetone and Ceresole Reale.[72] During the summer, in the Italian mountains, there are itineraries and paths, both on foot and by bicycle, where it is possible to admire naturalistic beauties, historic and artistic centers, glaciers, lakes, as well as practice numerous sports activities such as mountaineering, paragliding, rafting and hang gliding.[73] In the Italian mountains there are a large number of agritourisms, baite and resorts, as well as hotels and restaurants.[74]

The volcanism of Italy is due chiefly to the presence, a short distance to the south, of the boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate. Italy is a volcanically active country, containing the only active volcanoes in mainland Europe (while volcanic islands are also present in Greece, in the volcanic arc of the southern Aegean). The active Italian volcanoes that attract tourists are Etna, Vesuvius and Stromboli, while the extinct Italian volcanoes that are most visited by tourists are Monte Vulture, Monte Amiata and Alban Hills.[75]

Langhe hills, Piedmont

Italy has a predominantly hilly territory (equal to 41.6% of the total area).[70] The best known Italian hilly areas in the world are Langhe, Montferrat, Brianza, Berici Hills, Euganean Hills, Chianti, Colline Metallifere, Alban Hills, Gargano and Murge,[76] while notable locations include Erice, Civita di Bagnoregio, Maratea, Ravello, Urbino, Brisighella, Cortona, Asolo, Ostuni and Cervo.[77]

The attraction of tourists to the Italian hills is mainly due to the mild climate, natural beauty and landscape, and historic and artistic centres, with agritourism, resorts, hotels and restaurants that are widespread in these territories.[78]

Via Montenapoleone in Milan

Italy is also a destination for shopping tourism.[79] Italian fashion has a long tradition. The shops that attract the most tourists are those of clothing, leather goods and cosmetics and perfumery, while the most visited Italian cities for this type of tourism are, in descending order of visits, Milan, Florence, Rome, Venice and Turin.[80]

In Milan the most important shopping streets are Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga, Via Manzoni, Corso Venezia, Via Sant'Andrea, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Corso Buenos Aires, Corso di Porta Ticinese, Via Torino and Corso XXII Marzo,[81] while in Florence they are Via de' Tornabuoni, Via dei Calzaiuoli, Via del Corso, Mercato di San Lorenzo and Via Santo Spirito.[82]

In Rome the most important shopping streets are Via Condotti, Via Borgognona, Via Frattina, Via del Corso, Via del Campo Marzio, Via del Pellegrino, Via del Boschetto, Via Cola di Rienzo, Via del Governo Vecchio, Viale Guglielmo Marconi, Via Appia Nuova and Via Tuscolana,[83] while in Venice they are Le Mercerie, Piazza San Marco, Campo San Paolo, Burano and Murano.[84]

In Turin the most important shopping streets are Via Garibaldi, Contrada dei Guardinfanti, Galleria Subalpina, Via Roma, Piazza San Carlo, Piazza Carignano, Via Cesare Battisti, Piazza Carlo Alberto, Piazza Bodoni, Via Mazzini, Via Lagrange, Via Carlo Alberto, Piazza Carlo Felice, Via Po and Piazza Vittorio.[85]

Shopping tourism in Italy is also aimed at outlet stores. The outlets that attract the most tourists are located in Serravalle Scrivia, Castel San Pietro Romano, Barberino di Mugello, Noventa di Piave and Marcianise.[86]

Spa in Bormio, Lombardy

Italy has one of the largest number of spas in the world,[87] and are appreciated internationally for the quality and effectiveness of the services and treatments offered.[88] This is also due to secondary volcanic phenomena that give rise to the emission of water, vapours and mud enriched by substances present in the Italian subsoil.[89]

Its origins are very remote, it is known that the ancient Greeks had already discovered its healing properties,[90] but the greatest admirers of antiquity were undoubtedly the ancient Romans who made it an aspect of their social life.[91]

The most renowned Italian spas are located in the localities of Abano Terme, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Bibione, Chianciano Terme, Montepulciano, Saturnia, Montecatini Terme, Contursi Terme, Castellammare di Stabia, Bagni San Filippo, Sirmione, Bormio, Viterbo, Pantelleria, Vulcano, Montegrotto Terme, Pescantina, Salsomaggiore Terme and Ischia.[92][93]

Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome

The Via Francigena in Ariano Irpino, Campania

There are numerous pilgrimage destinations in Italy, first of all Rome, the residence of the Pope (who is its bishop) and the seat of the Catholic Church. The city is a pilgrimage destination especially during the main events of Catholic religious life, especially during the Jubilees. Although his figure is not officially recognized by the faithful of other Christian denominations, the presence of the Pope in Rome also attracts others and is an important figure within the Christian creed.[94]

The Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome are Basilica of St. John Lateran (Major Papal archbasilica), St. Peter's Basilica (Major Papal basilica), Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Major Papal basilica), Basilica of St. Mary Major (Major Papal basilica), Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls (Minor Papal basilica), Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Minor basilica), Sanctuary of Our Lady of Divine Love (Shrine)[95].[96] In addition to the Holy See, there are numerous pilgrimage sites given by the presence of relics and remains of important figures linked to Christianity, rather than by the memory of events that have occurred that the faithful consider miraculous.[97]

Notable churches that are a destination for pilgrimages, in addition to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, include Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto, Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei, Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, Basilica santuario Madonna delle Lacrime in Syracuse, Church of St. Mary of Mount Berico in Vicenza, Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna and Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca in Bologna.[98]

The Via Francigena is an ancient road and pilgrimage route running from the cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome[99] and then to Apulia, Italy, where there were ports of embarkation for the Holy Land.[100] In medieval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route for those wishing to visit the Holy See and the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul. Today the Via Francigena is travelled by pilgrims especially in the last stretch of the road, the one in Italian territory.[98] Along the Via Francigena there are numerous places of worship such as sanctuaries, convents and churches that attract pilgrims and tourists also for their artistic and architectural beauties.[98]

The Cammino Celeste ("Celestial Way") is also very popular with pilgrims.[98] It is a network of pilgrimage routes that connects the places of worship of Aquileia in Italy, Maria Saal in Austria and Brezje in Slovenia with the Sanctuary of Monte Lussari, located in the Julian Alps in the Italian municipality of Tarvisio, made official as an international pilgrimage route in the summer of 2006.[101] Its name derives from the union of the numerous places of ancient Marian devotion it passed through.[102]

Flamingos in the delta of the Po river

Italian garden of Villa d'Este, Lazio

In Italy there are several protected areas of various types: natural, mountain or marine parks, regional or local parks, natural, wildlife or zoological reserves. In addition to this there are numerous natural sites not necessarily protected by a park.

The parks of Italy include areas of land, sea, rivers and their banks, lakes and their environs which have environmental or naturalistic importance and are often valued for their landscape features and for representing particular local traditions. National parks cover about 5% of the country,[103] while the total area protected by national parks, regional parks and nature reserves covers about 10.5% of the Italian territory,[104] to which must be added 12% of coasts protected by marine protected areas.[105]

Italy has one the highest level of faunal biodiversity in Europe, with over 57,000 species recorded, representing more than a third of all European fauna.[106] The fauna of Italy includes 4,777 endemic animal species,[107] which include the Sardinian long-eared bat, Sardinian red deer, spectacled salamander, brown cave salamander, Italian newt, Italian frog, Apennine yellow-bellied toad, Italian wall lizard, Aeolian wall lizard, Sicilian wall lizard, Italian Aesculapian snake, and Sicilian pond turtle. In Italy there are 119 mammals species,[108] 550 bird species,[109] 69 reptile species,[110] 39 amphibian species,[111] 623 fish species[112] and 56,213 invertebrate species, of which 37,303 insect species.[113]

The flora of Italy was traditionally estimated to comprise about 5,500 vascular plant species.[114] However, as of 2005, 6,759 species are recorded in the Data bank of Italian vascular flora.[115] Italy has 1,371 endemic plant species and subspecies,[116] which include Sicilian Fir, Barbaricina columbine, Sea marigold, Lavender cotton and Ucriana violet.

Italy has many botanical gardens and historic gardens, some of which are known outside the country.[117][118] The Italian garden is stylistically based on symmetry, axial geometry and on the principle of imposing order over nature. It influenced the history of gardening, especially French gardens and English gardens.[119] The Italian garden was influenced by Roman gardens and Italian Renaissance gardens.

Fiera Milano

Venice Film Festival

Business tourism enlivens entrances to the country and constitutes a fundamental part of the sector. This type includes those who use the accommodation facilities for business trips or to participate in events related to the production or marketing of various goods developed within the most disparate economic sectors. By way of example, the following are reported:

• the Fiera Milano is a trade fair and exhibition organiser headquartered in Milan. The firm is the most important trade fair organiser in Italy and one of the largest in the world.[120]
• the Milan Motorcycle Show, one of the most important exhibitions in the world dedicated to motorcycles.[121]
• the Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world and one of the "Big Three" alongside Cannes and Berlin.[122][123]
• the Milan Furniture Fair is the most important showcase for the interiors and furnishings of the world.[124]
• the Milan Fashion Week, held twice a year, is one of the most import worldwide[125]
• the Genoa International Boat Show, one of the world's premier boat shows, held every year towards the end of September.[126]
• the Euroflora, held in Genoa every five years, is the most important floral festival in Europe.[127]
• the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in Turin is an international gastronomy exhibition held every two years.
• the Turin International Book Fair is one of the largest book fairs in Europe.[128][129]
• the Lucca Comics & Games is an annual comic book and gaming convention in Lucca, the most important exhibition in Europe and second in the world after the Comiket in Tokyo.[130][131]
• the Vinitaly is an international wine competition and exposition that is held annually in April in Verona. VinItaly has been called the "most important convention of domestic and international wines"[132] and the "largest wine show in the world".[133][134]
• the Bologna Children's Book Fair is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world.[135] It is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna
• the Milano Monza Open-Air Motor Show is an annual auto show held in June 2021 in Milan and Monza, Italy.[136][137][138]
• the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este is a Concours d'Elegance event in Italy for classic and vintage cars. It takes place annually near the Villa d'Este hotel in Cernobbio, on the western shore of Lake Como. Since 2011, the event has taken place in the second half of May.

The traditional recipe for spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce

Italian wine and salumi

Tiramisu

Italian cuisine is one of the best known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.[139] Italian cuisine includes deeply rooted traditions common to the whole country, as well as all the regional gastronomies, different from each other, especially between the north and the south of Italy, which are in continuous exchange.[140][141][142] Many dishes that were once regional have proliferated with variations throughout the country.[143][144] Italian cuisine offers an abundance of taste, and is one of the most popular and copied around the world.[145] Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, as well as the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine varieties in the world.[146][147]

One of the main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its simplicity, with many dishes made up of few ingredients, and therefore Italian cooks often rely on the quality of the ingredients, rather than the complexity of preparation.[148][149] The most popular dishes and recipes, over the centuries, have often been created by ordinary people more so than by chefs, which is why many Italian recipes are suitable for home and daily cooking, respecting regional specificities, privileging only raw materials and ingredients from the region of origin of the dish and preserving its seasonality.[150][151][152]

Italian meal structure is typical of the European Mediterranean region and differs from North, Central, and Eastern European meal structure, though it still often consists of breakfast (colazione), lunch (pranzo), and supper (cena).[153] However, much less emphasis is placed on breakfast, and breakfast itself is often skipped or involves lighter meal portions than are seen in non-Mediterranean Western countries.[154] Late-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, called merenda (plural merende), are also often included in this meal structure.[155]

The Mediterranean diet forms the basis of Italian cuisine, rich in pasta, fish, fruits and vegetables.[156] Cheese, cold cuts and wine are central to Italian cuisine, and along with pizza and coffee (especially espresso) form part of Italian gastronomic culture.[157] Desserts have a long tradition of merging local flavours such as citrus fruits, pistachio and almonds with sweet cheeses like mascarpone and ricotta or exotic tastes as cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon. Gelato,[158] tiramisù[159] and cassata are among the most famous examples of Italian desserts, cakes and patisserie.

Italian cuisine relies heavily on traditional products; the country has a large number of traditional specialities protected under EU law.[160] From the 1950s onwards, a great variety of typical products of Italian cuisine have been recognized as PDO, PGI, TSG and GI by the Council of the European Union, to which they are added to the Indicazione geografica tipica (IGT), the regional Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale (PAT) and the municipal Denominazione comunale d'origine (De.C.O.).[161][162] In the oenological field, there are specific legal protections: the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) and the Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG).[163] Protected designation of origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) have also been established in olive growing.[164]

The cuisine is therefore often a reason for tourism in the peninsula, perhaps combined with one or more reasons previously described.[165] There are countless food festivals and fairs spread throughout the area, from small agricultural centres to large metropolises.[166] The hospitality sector is slowly updating by including cultural food and wine elements in its offer to tourists, both in traditional hotels and in specially created structures such as agritourisms.[167] In 2018 the food and wine expenditure by foreign tourists amounted to 9.23 billion euros, with an average expenditure of 117 euros each.[168]

2006 Turin Winter Olympics opening ceremony

Sport in Italy has a long tradition. In several sports, both individual and team, Italy has good representation and many successes. Football is the most popular sport in Italy.[169] Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and is (along with Germany) currently the second most successful football team in World Cup history, after Brazil, having won four FIFA World Cup championships. Basketball, volleyball, and cycling are the next most popular/played sports, with Italy having a rich tradition in all three. Italy also has strong traditions in swimming, water polo, rugby union, tennis, athletics, fencing, and Formula One.

Tourism linked to sporting events is capable of attracting fans of various disciplines who, in several cases, then decide to stay to visit the country.[170] In addition to events of a global nature, capable of attracting a large number of visitors for a longer period of time (for example the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics or the 1990 FIFA World Cup), minor events also contribute to the development of this factor of tourism, such as individual international matches of various sports (for example the home matches of Italy during the Six Nations Championship or the matches of clubs of various sports involved in continental competitions) or tournaments of more local importance.[171]

Carnival of Venice

Palio di Siena

Traditions of Italy are some set of traditions, beliefs, values, and customs that belongs within the culture of Italian people. These traditions have influenced life in Italy for centuries, and are still practiced in our modern days.

Notable traditional Italian events that attract tourists are the celebrations of the Epiphany in Rome, the Festival of Saint Agatha of Catania, the Carnival of Venice, the Scoppio del carro in Florence, the Fish Festival of Camogli, the Infiorate di Spello, the Festival of Saint Rosalia of Palermo, the Notte della Taranta of Salento, the Chilli Festival of Diamante, the Grape Festival of Marino, the Christmas markets of Trentino-Alto Adige, the Nativity play of Sassi di Matera, the Battle of the Oranges of Ivrea, Almond Blossom Festival of Agrigento, Tulip Festival of Castiglione del Lago, May Day of Assisi, Festival of the Knot of Love of Valeggio sul Mincio, Medieval Festivals of Brisighella, Prosciutto di San Daniele Festival of San Daniele del Friuli, Festa del Redentore of Venice, Macchina di Santa Rosa of Viterbo, Rice Fair of Isola della Scala, Barcolana regatta of Trieste and Nougat Festival of Cremona.[172][173]

Traditional sports also attract tourists in Italy, such as the Palio, the name given in the country to an annual athletic contest, very often of a historical character, pitting the neighbourhoods of a town or the hamlets of a comune against each other. Typically, they are fought in costume and commemorate some event or tradition of the Middle Ages and thus often involve horse racing, archery, jousting, crossbow shooting, and similar medieval sports.[174] The Palio di Siena is the only one that has been run without interruption since it started in the 1630s and is definitely the most famous all over the world,[175] attracting tourists from every continent.[176]

Another traditional Italian sport that attracts tourists is the Calcio Fiorentino (also referred to as calcio storico, "historic football"), an early form of football (soccer and rugby) that originated during the Middle Ages and is still played annually today in the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence.[177][178] Other important Italian traditional competitions that attract tourists are the Palio di Asti, the Palio di Legnano, the Palio di Ferrara, the Giostra del Saracino and the Giostra della Quintana.[179]

Archaeological Area of Agrigento, Sicily

Italy is the country with the highest concentration in the world of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[180][181] As of 2021, Italy has a total of 58 inscribed sites, making it the country with the most World Heritage Sites just above China (56).[180][181] Out of Italy's 58 heritage sites, 53 are cultural and 5 are natural.[181] 50% of the tourists who visit the UNESCO heritage sites in Italy are foreigners, and of these, 75% are in Italy for a cultural holiday.[182]

Among the most famous Italian UNESCO World Heritage Sites there are Sassi di Matera; Porto Venere, Palmaria, Tino, Tinetto and Cinque Terre; Val d'Orcia; Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna; Archaeological Area of Agrigento; Alberobello; Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia; Pompeii, Torre Annunziata and Herculaneum; Palmanova; Barumini nuraghes; Dolomites; Santa Maria delle Grazie and The Last Supper; Castel del Monte; Royal Palace of Caserta, Aqueduct of Vanvitelli and San Leucio Complex; Syracuse and Necropolis of Pantalica; Villa d'Este; Langhe-Roero and Montferrat; Aeolian Islands; Val di Noto; Amalfi Coast; Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes; Aquileia; Duomo and the Leaning Tower of Pisa; Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale; Residences of the Royal House of Savoy; Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, Paestum, Velia and Certosa di Padula; Scrovegni Chapel.[183][184][185]

Anversa degli Abruzzi, Abruzzo

The historic Italian villages are attracting an increasing number of tourists.[186] These villages are part of I Borghi più belli d'Italia (English: The most beautiful villages of Italy), an association that includes, as of November 2021, 325 villages[187] and that organizes initiatives within the villages, such as festivals, exhibitions, fetes, conferences and concerts that highlight the cultural, historical, gastronomic and linguistic heritage, involving residents, schools, and local artists.[188] The club promotes numerous initiatives on the international market.[189][190][191][192][193][194] In 2016, the association signed a global agreement with ENIT,[195] to promote tourism in the most beautiful villages in the world.[196] In 2017, the club signed an agreement with Costa Cruises[197] for the enhancement of some villages, which are offered to cruise passengers arriving in Italian ports aboard the operator's ships.[198]

The Bandiera arancione is a tourist-environmental quality recognition conferred by the Touring Club Italiano (TCI) to small towns in the Italian hinterland (maximum 15,000 inhabitants) which stand out for their quality hospitality.[199] The idea was born in 1998 in Sassello (in Liguria), from the need of the regional body to promote and enhance the hinterland.[200] The TCI therefore developed an analysis model (called territorial analysis model or MAT) to identify the first deserving localities.[201] Subsequently, the recognition was promoted on a national scale, identifying small places of excellence in each region.[201] The group, as of June 2021, includes 252 villages.[202] The project is the only Italian one included by the World Tourism Organization among the programs successfully implemented for the sustainable development of tourism worldwide.[203]

Navigli in Milan, Lombardy

The nightlife in Italy is attractive to both tourists and locals. Italy is known to have some of the best nightlife in the world.[204] The best known Italian destinations for nightlife are:[204][205]

• Milan (Lombardy), in particular Navigli, Brera, Isola, Porta Romana, Lambrate, Idroscalo, Corso Como, Corso Sempione and Colonne di San Lorenzo;
• Florence (Tuscany), in particular the neighborhoods of Oltrarno, Santo Spirito and Santa Croce;
• Rome (Lazio), in particular the neighborhoods of Pigneto, San Lorenzo and Ostiense;
• Venice (Veneto), in particular the neighborhoods of Erbaria, Fondamenta Misericordia and Santa Margherita;
• Salento (Apulia), in particular Gallipoli, Otranto and Lecce;
• Riviera of Romagna (Emilia-Romagna), in particular Riccione, Rimini and Milano Marittima;
• Jesolo (Veneto);
• Riviera del Corallo (Sardinia), in particular Alghero;
• Ischia (Campania);
• Coast of the Gods (Calabria), in particular Tropea, Capo Vaticano and Scilla.

The rainbow flag flies in Capocotta, a gay-friendly beach on the Italian Mediterranean Sea

Italy represented one of the main homosexual male tourist destinations between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.[206] In fact, in Italy there were no anti-homosexual laws, which were widespread in the countries of Northern Europe, such as the German paragraph 175 or the sentences suffered by Oscar Wilde in the United Kingdom.[206] Places such as Capri, Taormina, Florence, Venice, Rome and Naples were the favourite places of homosexual tourism of the time.[206]

This type of tourism disappeared in Italy in the 1950s due to changed political and social conditions, which favoured other types of tourism, such as "family" tourism.[206] As a consequence, other Mediterranean cities (such as Mykonos, Ibiza and Sitges) took the place of the Italian ones for LGBT tourism.[206]

Today LGBT tourism in Italy is mainly an urban phenomenon, such as in Milan and Rome due to the high variety of discos, pubs, bars, cruising, saunas, B&B, restaurants, which meet all needs. of the nightlife.[207][208] In summer, however, the first Italian gay resort is Gallipoli which, with bars, discos, B&B and beaches, attracts people from all over Italy and abroad, taking away the primacy of Versilia.[209] The naturist beaches of Spiaggia D'Ayala, Campomarino di Maruggio, Torre Guaceto and Brindisi attract LGBT crowds from all over the world.[210]

The entrance to Gardaland seen from inside the amusement park

The most visited amusement park in Italy is Gardaland, with 3 million visitors per year (2019).[211]. Located in Castelnuovo del Garda, is adjacent to Lake Garda. The entire complex covers an area of 445,000 m² (4,789,940 sq ft), while the theme park alone measures 200,000 m² (2,152,782 sq ft).[211] Gardaland is the eighth in Europe by the number of amusement park visitors (2019).[211] In June 2005 Gardaland ranked fifth in the Forbes ranking of the top ten best amusement parks in the world.[212]

The second most visited Italian amusement park is Mirabilandia, with 2 million annual visitors (2019).[211] Located in Savio, a frazione of Ravenna, with a total area of 850,000 m² (9,149,324 sq ft) it is the biggest amusement park in Italy.[213] Other popular Italian amusement/theme parks are Cinecittà World in Rome, Zoomarine in Torvaianica, Cavallino Matto in Marina di Castagneto Carducci, Italia in miniatura in Rimini, Cowboyland in Voghera, Pombia Safari Park in Pombia, Aquarium of Genoa, Parco Natura Viva in Bussolengo, Zoom Torino in Cumiana and Le Cornelle in Valbrembo.

Map of the Italian diaspora in the world

Italy has experienced a conspicuous emigration to foreign countries. By 1980, it was estimated that about 25,000,000 Italians were residing outside Italy.[214] It is estimated that the number of their descendants, who are called "oriundi", is about 80 million worldwide.[215]

This phenomenon has led to an important flow of tourists of Italian origin who visit the country and discover their roots.[216] The trip to Italy of these tourists is mainly about knowing the places, the language, the cuisine and the people to which their ancestors belonged.[217] In 2018, about 10 million tourists of Italian origin went to the country to rediscover their roots.[216]

University of Bologna, established in AD 1088, is the world's oldest academic institution.

Italy is one of the main destinations of the Erasmus Programme, fifth in Europe after Spain, Germany, France and the United Kingdom respectively.[218]

The first five Italian universities that have hosted the largest number of students of the Erasmus Programme are, respectively, the University of Bologna, the Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Florence, the Polytechnic University of Milan and the University of Padua.[219] In particular, the University of Bologna is the oldest university in continuous operation in the world, and the first university in the sense of a higher-learning and degree-awarding institute, as the word universitas was coined at its foundation.[220][221][222][223]

European students of the Erasmus Programme who go to study in Italy also take advantage of their stay to visit the country.[224][225]

The Fénis Castle, 13th century (Aosta Valley)

Regions: Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy and Aosta Valley

Home of the Italian Riviera, including Portofino, Sanremo, and of Cinque Terre. There are many historic cities in this part of Italy: Turin, the manufacturing capital of Italy, Milan, the business and fashion capital of the country and the important port of Genoa are the most popular tourist destinations of the area.

Other cities like Aosta, Bergamo, Brescia, Como and Mantua have a rich cultural heritage, which share the region's visitors with beautiful landscapes such as the lakes Garda (with Grottoes of Catullus and Gardone Riviera), Como (with Bellagio and Varenna) and Maggiore (with Borromean Islands and Angera). There are also important ski resorts like Sestriere, Courmayeur, Breuil-Cervinia, Livigno and Bormio.

Bologna, Emilia Romagna.

Regions: Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Veneto

This part of Italy also boasts several important tourist attractions, such as the canal-filled city of Venice, the cities of Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Trento, Bolzano, Cremona, Bologna, Ferrara, Parma, Ravenna, Cesena, Rimini and Trieste.

There are also several mountain ranges such as the Dolomites, the Carnic and Julian Alps and first-class ski resorts like Cortina d'Ampezzo and Madonna di Campiglio. These four regions offer much to see and do. The area has a unique cuisine, including wines and dishes such as Prosecco and Tiramisu in Veneto and Cotechino, Ragu and Parma ham in Emilia Romagna, San Daniele ham and D.O.C. wines in Valpolicella, Lake Garda, Valdobbiadene, Trentino and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

View of Lucca, Tuscany, from the Torre Guinigi

Regions: Lazio, Marche, Tuscany and Umbria

This area is possibly the most visited in Italy and contains many popular attractions as well as sought-after landscapes. Rome boasts the remaining wonders of the Roman Empire and some of the world's best known landmarks such as the Colosseum.

Florence, regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, is Tuscany's most visited city, whereas nearby cities like Siena, Pisa, Arezzo and Lucca also have rich cultural heritage. Umbria's population is small but it has many important cities such as Perugia and Assisi. For similar reasons, Lazio and Tuscany are some of Italy's most visited regions and the main targets for Ecotourism.

This area is known for its picturesque landscapes and attracts tourists from all over the world, including Italy itself. Pristine landscapes serve as one of the primary motivators for tourists to visit central Italy, although there are others, such as a rich history of art.

Trulli in Alberobello, Apulia.

Regions: Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Abruzzo, and Molise

Southern Italy (also called Mezzogiorno) is well known for the cuisine, that offers a wide choice of food at lower prices. It is also known for the pairing of Mediterranean clime with the beautiful beaches of each region, an important element for local tourism. Naples is the most visited city in the area, and the ruins of Pompeii are the most visited sights.

Other important tourist destinations include the Amalfi Coast, Ravello, Benevento, Caserta, Salerno and Pozzuoli. The natural parks of Abruzzo, the greenest region in Europe,[226] include the Abruzzo National Park, the National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga the Maiella National Park and Sirente-Velino Regional Park which attract thousands of visitors due to more than 30 protected Nature Reserves and the presence of 75% of all Europe's living species.[227]

Apulia, which includes the historical cities of Lecce and Bari and villages composed of trulli; like Calabria it is famous for its coasts. Basilicata is very famous for so-called Sassi di Matera. The main city of Molise are Campobasso and Isernia, the most important sight is the Basilica of Castelpetroso. Calabria coasts are very appreciated by tourists; the capital city is Catanzaro but its most populated city is Reggio Calabria.

La Maddalena, Sardinia

Regions: Sardinia and Sicily

Sicily, the largest island in the country, is a diverse and popular tourist island, famous for its archaeology, seascape and unique Sicilian cuisine. There are many important cities such as Palermo, Messina, Catania. An important sight is Val di Noto which offers a lot of Late Baroque cities built after the catastrophic earthquake of 1693.

Sardinia is a large island some 250 kilometres west of the Italian coastline. It includes several popular tourist attractions and has several beaches and archaeological ruins. It is also known for its beaches, which are among the most beautiful in the world, and include the famous pink beaches in the archipelago of La Maddalena.

The most popular cities in Sardinia are: Cagliari, Sassari, Alghero, Olbia and Porto Cervo. Porto Cervo, located in Costa Smeralda, is a popular summer destination famous for its beaches and clubs among high-income earners.

The Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine.

Rome is the capital city of Italy. It is also the capital of the Lazio region, the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, and a special comune named Comune di Roma Capitale. Rome is the country's most populated comune and the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber. Vatican City (the smallest country in the world)[229] is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city; for this reason, Rome has sometimes been described as the capital of two states.[230][231]

Rome is often referred to as the City of Seven Hills due to its geographic location, and also as the "Eternal City".[232] Rome is generally considered to be the "cradle of Western Christian culture and civilization", and the center of the Catholic Church.[233][234][235] Rome's history spans 28 centuries. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it a major human settlement for almost three millennia and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe.[236] The city's early population originated from a mix of Latins, Etruscans, and Sabines. Eventually, the city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded by many as the first-ever Imperial city and metropolis.[237] It was first called The Eternal City (Latin: Urbs Aeterna; Italian: La Città Eterna) by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC, and the expression was also taken up by Ovid, Virgil, and Livy.[238][239] Rome is also called "Caput Mundi" (Capital of the World).

Rome has become increasingly popular as a tourist destination globally. 45.6% from 2006 (6.03 million), Rome hosted 8.78 million international tourists in 2014, placing itself as the 14th most visited city in the world.[240] Popular tourists attractions in the city include the Colosseum, St Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon and so on, all of which are part of the World Heritage property.[241] Other main sights in the city include, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Roman Forum,[242] Castel Sant'Angelo, the Basilica of St. John Lateran,[243] the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese park, Piazza del Popolo, the Trastevere and the Janiculum.[244]

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Milan Cathedral and the Royal Palace of Milan in Piazza del Duomo.

Milan is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. Milan is considered a leading alpha global city,[245] with strengths in the fields of art, commerce, design, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, services, research and tourism. Its business district hosts Italy's stock exchange (Italian: Borsa Italiana), and the headquarters of national and international banks and companies. In terms of GDP, Milan is the wealthiest city in Italy, it has the third-largest economy among EU cities after Paris and Madrid, and is the wealthiest among EU non-capital cities.[246][247][248] Milan is viewed along with Turin as the southernmost part of the Blue Banana urban development corridor (also known as the "European Megalopolis"), and one of the Four Motors for Europe.

Milan is one of Europe's most important tourist destinations, and Italy's second; with 6.05 million international arrivals as measured in 2014, it placed itself as the 24th most visited city in the world.[240] According to a particular source, 56% of international visitors to Milan are from Europe, whilst 44% of the city's tourists are Italian, and 56% are from abroad.[249] The most important European Union markets are the United Kingdom (16%), Germany (9%) and France (6%).[249] According to the same study, most of the visitors who come from the USA to the city go on business matters, whilst Chinese and Japanese tourists mainly take up the leisure segment.[250]

The city boasts several popular tourist attractions, such as the city's Duomo and Piazza, the Teatro alla Scala, the San Siro Stadium, the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery, the Sforza Castle, the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Via Monte Napoleone. Most tourists visit sights such as Milan Cathedral, the Sforza Castle and the Teatro alla Scala, however, other main sights such as the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, the Navigli and the Brera district are less visited and prove to be less popular.[250]

The city also has numerous hotels, including the ultra-luxurious Town House Galleria, which is the world's first seven-star hotel, ranked officially by the Société Générale de Surveillance, and one of The Leading Hotels of the World.[251] The average stay for a tourist in the city is of 3.43 nights, whilst foreigners stay for longer periods of time, 77% of which stay for a 2-5 night average.[250] Of the 75% of visitors which stay in hotels, 4-star ones are the most popular (47%), whilst 5-stars, or less than 3-stars represent 11% and 15% of the charts respectively.

San Francesco di Paola, Naples, in Piazza del Plebiscito.

Naples is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan. Founded by Greeks in the first millennium BC, Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban areas in the world.[252] In the ninth century BC, a colony known as Parthenope (Ancient Greek: Παρθενόπη) was established on the Island of Megaride.[253] In the 6th century BC, it was refounded as Neápolis.[254] The city was an important part of Magna Graecia, played a major role in the merging of Greek and Roman society, and was a significant cultural centre under the Romans.[255]

Its historic city centre is the largest in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[256] Naples is also near the famous volcano Vesuvius and the ruins of the ancient Roman towns of Pompeii and Ercolano. Before italian unification it was the capital of Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the most important and populated city of Italy. Naples is well known for cuisine, especially for pizza. In the city there are many tourist attractions, such as the Royal Palace, the basilica of Santa Chiara, the Gesù Nuovo (New Jesus) church, Castel dell'Ovo, the Castel Nuovo, the Castel Sant'Elmo, the city's Duomo, the Real Teatro di San Carlo (the oldest continuously active opera house in the world), the Palace of Capodimonte, the Naples underground geothermal tunnels, the Via Tribunali, Spaccanapoli street, the Veiled Christ (one of the world's most remarkable sculptures), the various catacombs around the city (for example the Catacombs of San Gennaro, or the Fontanelle cemetery, or the Catacombs of Saint Gaudiosus), the Umberto I Gallery and the Via Toledo with its metro considered one of the most beautiful of Europe.[257][258]

The Archaeological Museum of Naples is the most important in the world regarding Roman history, and also includes Egyptian and Greek finds. It is the home of the Federico II, the oldest public and secular university in the world, and of the L'Orientale, the oldest school of Sinology and Oriental Studies in Europe. Naples also boasts one of the most picturesque waterfront promenades, and charming locations at Gaiola Island and Marechiaro. Close to Naples, there is a myriad of world-renowned tourist attractions such as the Amalfi Coast, Capri island, Ischia island, Procida island, the picturesque city of Sorrento, and the city of Salerno.

Piazza della Signoria in Florence with the Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia dei Lanzi

Florence is a city in Central-Northern Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,084 inhabitants in 2013, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.[259]

Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era.[260] It is considered by many academics[261] to have been the birthplace of the Renaissance, becoming a major artistic, cultural, commercial, political, economic and financial center.[262] During this time, Florence rose to a position of enormous influence in Italy, Europe, and beyond.[263] Its turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family and numerous religious and republican revolutions.[264] From 1865 to 1871 the city served as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy (established in 1861). The Florentine dialect forms the base of Standard Italian and it became the language of culture throughout Italy[265] due to the prestige of the masterpieces by Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini.

The city attracts millions of tourists each year, and UNESCO declared the Historic Centre of Florence a World Heritage Site in 1982. The city is noted for its culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments.[266] The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics.[267] Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, Forbes has ranked it as the most beautiful city in the world.[268]

Florence plays an important role in Italian fashion,[267] and is ranked in the top 15 fashion capitals of the world by Global Language Monitor;[269] furthermore, it is a major national economic centre,[267] as well as a tourist and industrial hub. It is the 4th richest Italian city.[270]

Venice, with the Rialto Bridge in the background.

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands[271] that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges.[271][272] The islands are in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay lying between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers (more exactly between the Brenta and the Sile). In 2020, 258,685 people resided in the Comune di Venezia, of whom around 55,000 live in the historical city of Venice (centro storico). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), which is considered a statistical metropolitan area, with a total population of 2.6 million.[273]

The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC.[274][275] The city was historically the capital of the Republic of Venice for over a millennium, from 697 to 1797. It was a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as an important center of commerce—especially silk, grain, and spice, and of art from the 13th century to the end of the 17th. The city-state of Venice is considered to have been the first real international financial center, emerging in the 9th century and reaching its greatest prominence in the 14th century.[276] This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history.[277] After the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna, the Republic was annexed by the Austrian Empire, until it became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, following a referendum held as a result of the Third Italian War of Independence.

Venice has been known as "La Dominante", "La Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". The lagoon and a part of the city are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, and artwork.[271] Venice is known for several important artistic movements—especially during the Renaissance period—and has played an important role in the history of instrumental and operatic music, and is the birthplace of Baroque composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi.[278]

Although the city is facing some challenges (including an excessive number of tourists and problems caused by pollution, tide peaks and cruise ships sailing too close to buildings),[279][280][281] Venice remains a very popular tourist destination, a major cultural centre, and has been ranked many times the most beautiful city in the world.[1][2] It has been described by the Times Online as one of Europe's most romantic cities[282] and by The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man".[283]

The Duomo and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The Mirror Gallery of the Royal Palace of Genoa.

• Palermo—ancient capital of the Kingdom of Sicily and of the Holy Roman Empire under Frederick II. It is noted for its history, gastronomy and architecture; the particularity of the city (such as the rest of Sicily) is that is a meeting point of Greek, Roman, Arabian, Norman and Aragonian cultures.
• Bologna—home of the first university in the western world. This city has a rich history, culture, and technology. Bologna is well known for its cuisine.
• Bari—is well known as a port and university city as well as the city of Saint Nicholas. Capital of Apulia and second most important economic centre of Southern Italy after Naples. The city has a rich culture and history.
• Genoa (Genova)— the Republic of Genoa was one of the most important maritime republics of the Middle Ages. Very wealthy and diverse city. Its port brings in tourism and trade, along with art and architecture. Genoa is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus and the originator of jeans.
• Pisa—the Republic of Pisa was one of the medieval maritime republics, and the city has many medieval palaces and squares. Home to the unmistakable image of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Very touristy city. Famous too for the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
• Turin (Torino)—the first capital of Italy, after being the capital of Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, which had promoted national reunification. The city has a rich culture and history. Home of the FIAT, the most important industry in Italy, Turin is a well-known industrial city, based on the aerospace industry and, of course, the automobile industry. Home of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
• Verona—it is one of the main tourist destinations in northern Italy because of its artistic heritage and several annual fairs and shows as well as the opera season in the Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheatre.
• Padua (Padova)—it is picturesque, with a dense network of arcaded streets opening into large communal piazze, and many bridges crossing the various branches of the Bacchiglione, which once surrounded the ancient walls like a moat.