Italy Travel Guide: Destinations, Food & Solo Travel Tips

Italy: The Place I Keep Coming Back To

12+ destination guides covering food, hidden gems and solo travel across Italy and Sicily.

ITALY GUIDES SICILY GUIDES

Italy Travel Guides

I’ve travelled to Italy 15 times over 13 years and I don’t think I will ever be done with it. I usually visit every year – it could never be a ‘one-and-done’ country for me, and as you may be able to tell from the number of in depth travel guides you can find here, Italy is my favourite place to visit. It has everything I love: incredible yet non-pretentious food, rich history, beautiful beaches and cheap Aperol Spritz.


There are lots of Italian destinations still on my list to visit, but I love to go back to the places I’ve enjoyed the most. I’ve been to Florence, Venice, Rome and Sicily multiple times, and I will continue to do so for their history, food and the kind of easy going atmosphere that is increasingly hard to find.


Italy can be both an easy city break trip and a great choice for a two week holiday, whether that time is spent travelling around Italy by train linking up amazing cities or focusing on one region. It’s a great place to travel as a couple, with a group of friends or as I usually do, solo. Walkable cities, affordable train travel, cooking classes, ancient historical sites and aperitivo culture make Italy one of the best solo destinations in Europe; there is simply so much to do in Italy.


The Italian mainland has so much variety and city breaks to Venice, Rome and Bologna could not feel more different. One thing Italian cities do have in common is the food will be great wherever you go, but truly excellent if you know exactly where to look – these guides will help to point you in the right direction with first hand experience and high standards.


Browse my guides to the Italian mainland below; each one is filled with honest recommendations of the best places I found to eat and drink in, ways to spend your time and practical travel tips for travellers whether you are solo or not.

Sicily Travel Guides

My first trip to Sicily was in 2020 when we had a reprieve from all the lockdowns and restrictions and were briefly allowed to leave the country. I fell in love with Cefalù and have been back on every trip to Sicily since; three times over five years.

In 2022 my company allowed us to work remotely during August and I used this time to live the dream of travelling around Italy for three weeks. I spent the first two weeks travelling around Northern and the little travelled Western Sicily before getting the overnight train up to Naples. Every year I say I will go back to do another longer trip covering the East of Sicily; I got distracted by my career break but it will happen soon!

Sicily holds a laid back charm; the people are chilled and friendly, though you’ll get on better if you attempt a bit of Italian! The island boasts medieval towns with Roman walls, Ancient Greek archaeological sites and pretty towns overlooking gorgeous coastline. There are hiking opportunities in Zingaro Nature Reserve – a hike even I managed, but it’s a lot easier when the views are that good and there’s the promise of a spritz at the end. The capital Palermo is a bit rough around the edges but I love it, and the Egadi islands off of Trapani are a must see in my book – Favignana is one of my favourite places I’ve been, but Cefalù remains my number one.

The following travel guides cover the destinations I’ve travelled in North and Western Sicily thoroughly, including things to do and the best places to eat and drink to make your travel planning all the easier.

CLICK HERE FOR ALL DESTINATIONS