Ready for the experience of a lifetime? Five tips for enjoying your holidays in Italy

Whether someone visits Italy for the first time or the tenth in their life, they usually know that it’s much more than a country. The little boot-shaped nation is almost a universe on its own, a place that might look limited in size (but it really is not once you start exploring it thoroughly) but is also extremely rich in treasures.

Art, architecture, culture, history, spectacular metropolises, tiny ancient borgos, mouthwatering food and wine, mountains, planes, lakes, seas, sandy white beaches and rocky cliffs, countryside and much more: Italy has it all in one single nation. And that is why one holiday – or ten – is never enough.

To fully experience the stunning charm of what so many call the most beautiful country in the world, you will likely choose to come back again and again. But regardless of your plans to fly to Italy once or countless times, you can always follow a few tips to truly enjoy the experience of a lifetime.

Take your time and enjoy a slow vacation if possible

Giving yourself all the time you need to enjoy your time in Italy is surely the best advice you can receive. There’s no need to hurry: your body and soul need time to ease into your holiday destination, and the more relaxed and well-rested you are, the more you can enjoy your time away from home and the place you’ve chosen to be.

We will surely have more time to talk about “slow traveling” in the future, as it is a theme worth much more attention. However, remember that a different traveling mentality can go a long way. As we all know, most people only have a limited amount of holidays per year, so they desire to see as much as possible before returning home. But too much excitement can become an anxious tendency to cram as many places, activities and sometimes even destinations into one single trip.

The result? Once we get back home, we’re exhausted.

The solution is to pick one destination and connect with it. Be mindful of every day, every hour and everything you experience while immersed in it. This is how your holiday will truly be memorable.

Experience food like an authentic Italian

Photo by Freepik.

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One of the most common behaviors some travelers display while on holiday abroad is trying to find the same foods they usually consume at home. However, enjoying a vacation in a place that differs from ours also means experiencing their culinary traditions to the fullest, and this principle is especially true in Italy!

If there is a place in the world whose food and wine you don’t want to miss, Italy is undoubtedly it. Our advice is to fully embrace its culture when it comes to cuisine and take it as a way to experience and appreciate Italian culture as a whole. If possible, ask locals for the tastiest eateries and pizzerias and avoid tourist restaurants: choose where Italians eat with their family and friends instead! They will probably be amazing trattorias in back streets or suburbs that are less flashy but certainly much more delicious when it comes to recipes.

Don’t forget to ask about the house specialties and the wine that best combines with your meals. Finally, the best way to fully enjoy meals in Italy is to go out a little earlier – around seven PM will be perfect – to make sure the place is quieter and less crowded.

Go search for hidden corners and villages

Remember that most Italian cities can easily be explored on foot and are usually surrounded by charming little towns, villages and borgos.

The fact that almost the entire country is easily walkable and that so many urban beauties are close to one another will offer you the unique chance to search for hidden treasures immersed in the luscious nature that is a staple of the Italian panoramas.

Our advice is to plan to explore each little town or city not only in its must-see destinations (we know the Coliseum can’t be avoided if you’re in Rome!) but also its surroundings. More often than not, they will have plenty of beauty to showcase and will make you feel immersed in the purest Italian atmosphere.

Of course, you can move around using your car, motorcycle or even boat, but don’t forgo hiking or cycling: Italy is too much of a lush, beautiful nation with plenty of countrysides, vineyards, parks, gardens, valleys and hills to be lived “from afar”.

Let every place inspire you and fill your soul.

Get thoroughly informed about your destination before landing

Of course, knowing a bit about your destination will make your Italian holiday filled with much more awareness. For example, it will allow you to know in advance which places you would like to visit and what activities you are ready to enjoy, optimizing your time.

Research your travel destination before leaving, and you will feel less intimidated by it: it might appear trivial, but it’s not if you consider that you might be venturing somewhere entirely new for you.

We suggest you get informed about the climate you will find after landing and during your stay, which will influence the clothing you’ll wear and about possible local customs you might want to be aware of.

An excellent way to know more about your Italian destination is through your organizer: for example, we are always more than glad to inform our customers about everything they need to know about the place they have chosen for their experience. But you can also research on the Internet, reading local news sources or relying on the good old guidebooks. They’re usually very well done!

Find the perfect accommodation!

Finally, carefully choose your accommodation as it will be at the heart of your vacation. It will be your refuge, your home throughout your stay in Italy. And when we talk about choosing the perfect accommodation, we’re not only referring to the location, but also the house's style and “mood”.

Pick a place that is in tune with your dreams, desires and personality. A home you are glad you can go back to at the end of a beautiful day spent on the beach or hiking in the mountains. A place where you can unwind, relax, meditate and plan new activities. Don’t forget that your accommodation plays a huge role in how enjoyable your entire holiday will be.

And that is why every single WeVillas property is carefully chosen and selected: our customers know that their vacation begins at the door of their luxury villa.