Italy

Best time to visit

Best time to travel

April to June and September to October suit most cultural routes; beaches, high mountains and major art cities each require separate timing.

Travel tips

Travel by Ildy tips

• Do not drive into historic centres: many Italian cities have a ZTL (zona a traffico limitato) watched by cameras, and fines often reach you months later via your rental company. Park at the edge and walk or use public transport.
• In the Bassa Parmense along the Po, taste Culatello di Zibello DOP – a cured pork cut that may only be made from October to February, when the river plain lies under cold fog.
• Be in Venice for the Redentore weekend in mid-July: on the Saturday night boats fill St Mark's basin for fireworks, and a bridge of barges links the Zattere to Palladio's church on the Giudecca.
• In Florence, look for the buchette del vino, small arched openings in palazzo walls from which noble families sold wine from their estates directly to the street; a few have reopened.