Colourful houses of Varenna on the shore of Lake Como, with wooded mountains behind

Southern Europe

Italy

A country we think we know — until we see a Dolomites morning or the olive groves of Puglia.

Photo: Evan Verni / Unsplash

For many travellers from Lithuania, Italy feels close and familiar: a short flight, and you're drinking coffee at the bar the way locals do. Yet beyond Rome, Florence and Venice lies a very different country — mountain huts in the Dolomites serving dumplings and strudel for lunch, the quiet shores of Lake Como and Lake Garda, the trulli and white coastline of Puglia, Sicily's markets and the vineyards on the slopes of Etna.

Every region has its own cuisine, dialect and rhythm. That's why Italy is best discovered one or two regions at a time — unhurried, with a guide who opens up local history, and with time for long lunches. It suits a week's escape just as well as a longer holiday that blends the classics with lesser-known corners.

The rock towers of Tre Cime di Lavaredo above green meadows in morning light, Dolomites

Experiences to consider

01
The Dolomites
Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the Alpe di Siusi meadows and trails between mountain huts — for hiking in summer, skiing in winter, and South Tyrolean cooking all year.
02
Puglia and Matera
The trulli of Alberobello, Ostuni's white lanes, olive groves and masserie — farm estates where you can stay. Close by lies the cave city of Matera.
03
The northern lakes
Lake Como's villas and gardens, ferries between Bellagio and Varenna, Lake Garda's lemon terraces — elegant slowness just a short drive from Milan.
04
Sicily
Palermo's markets, the Greek temples of Agrigento, the Baroque towns of Noto and Ragusa and the vineyards of Etna — an island where several civilisations meet.

Ways to travel

Ways to experience it

Ways to travel aren't separate paths — the best journeys often bring several together.

Culture & discovery
Museums and churches with a guide who tells more than dates, food markets, wine estates and artisans' workshops.
Adventure & active travel
Hut-to-hut walking in the Dolomites, cycling through the Tuscan hills and Etna's slopes with a guide.
Exceptional stays & escapes
Puglia's masserie, lakeside villas, mountain hotels in the Dolomites and agriturismo farm stays in Tuscany.
Family journeys
Pizza, gelato, castles and the sea — to children Italy feels like one long celebration, and short distances keep the travelling easy.
Honeymoons & special journeys
Lakeside sunsets, dinners among the vines and a few days by the sea — romantic, but never predictable.