Southern Europe
Twenty regions that agree on almost nothing except dinner.
Italy is less one country than a federation of fierce local loyalties — every hundred kilometres the pasta shape changes, the accent changes, and somebody will tell you the next town does it all wrong. That's the pleasure of it. The north gives you lakes, Alps and money; the centre gives you Rome and the Renaissance; the south gives you chaos, coastline and the best cheap food in western Europe. You can't do it in one trip, and nobody who loves it would want to.
What things cost: Italy is mid-range for western Europe — cheaper than France or Switzerland, dearer than Greece or Portugal. The gap between tourist-priced and local-priced is the widest on the continent: fifty metres off any famous piazza, coffee drops from €6 to €1.20. When a zone below says 'low', that means low for Italy.
Amalfi Coast
Bologna
Capri
Cinque Terre
Florence
Lake Como
Milan
Naples
Rome
Turin
Venice
Verona
Sometimes the event picks the city for you.
Every summer, June to September
The city's summer-long outdoor programme — cinema on Tiber Island, concerts in villas and ruins, bars along the river banks. Rome moves outside and stays there.
Rome · Tiber banks & venues citywide
Late August into September, every year
The world's oldest film festival, out on the Lido — red carpets, Golden Lions and A-list premieres. You won't get into the galas, but the buzz spills across the island and tickets to public screenings do come up.
Venice · Lido di Venezia
The first Sunday of September, every year
The historic regatta — a parade of 16th-century boats crewed in period costume down the Grand Canal, followed by fiercely contested gondola races. The most spectacular day on the water all year.
Venice · The Grand Canal
The evening of 7 September, every year
The paper-lantern festival — children parade to Piazza Santissima Annunziata carrying glowing lanterns on poles, a gentle end-of-summer tradition with market stalls and music. Sweet, local and low-key.
Florence · Piazza Santissima Annunziata
Premieres and red carpets at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, with screenings scattered across the city.
Rome · Auditorium Parco della Musica
The streets and squares become an open-air gallery of light — installations by contemporary artists strung across the arcades and piazzas through the dark months. A beautiful reason to visit in winter.
Turin · Across the city centre