Our 2023 Italy travels took us to the cities of Turin and Genoa, a seaside town, a Chianti wine town, and the Trastevere and Prati neighborhoods of Rome. Add a couple of these places to your 2024 Italy travel itinerary.
Torino
Torino (or Turin), Italy’s first capital, is a beautiful city with Savoy palaces, historic cafes, and a top Egyptian museum in northern Italy’s Piedmont region. We visited in fall with our friends Anita and Tom of Anita’s Feast. Highlights were visits to the Egyptian Museum and Palazzo Madama, a fantastic museum full of history with an observation deck from where the photo was taken.
Where we stayed:La Casa Degli Angeli, a comfortable 2-bedroom apartment perfectly located between the main train station and Piazza Castello.
Turin Travel Guide
Turin’s Egyptian Museum
Piemonte Map with Torino’s location
Genoa
Genoa, port city on the coast of Liguria, has a fascinating medieval center, historic Renaissance palaces that are now museums, a beautiful cathedral with frescoes, and one of Europe’s largest aquariums. With a museum pass, we visited the Strada Nuova Museums, Palazzo Reale, and Palazzo Spinola, which was my favorite. Genoa has an airport and 2 train stations, making it a great base for visiting seaside towns along the Italian Riviera.
Where we stayed: Rolli de Mar, a cozy apartment in a historic building in the heart of Genoa
Genoa Travel Guide
Genoa Weather
Albenga, Italian Riviera
Albenga, called the town of 100 towers is a nice seaside town on the Ligurian coast between Genoa and Sanremo. 12 of the original towers still stand in the interesting medieval center along with a 5th century Baptistry and several churches. There’s a good Roman ships museum and the unusual slingshot museum. Albenga’s beaches are some of the best on this stretch of the coast and there’s a promenade along the sea.
Where we stayed: Ricaroka Hotel, a short walk from the historic center and the sea, has nice rooms above a popular restaurant.
Albenga Travel Guide
Liguria Map with Albenga’s location
Montespertoli, Upper Chianti
Montespertoli is a small town surrounded by vineyards in northern Chianti, not far from Florence. This part of Chianti sees fewer tourists (and is less expensive) than the Chianti Classico zone. It’s a scenic area with castles, wineries, and pretty drives.
Where we stayed: Apartamento la Chicchera,
Rome
We started and ended our fall trip in Rome, first staying near Trastevere train station and then in the Prati neighborhood, an area with good restaurants and a large covered market that’s a short walk from the Vatican. We visited Centrale Montemartini, an interesting museum a little outside the center that’s well worth a visit and the Trionfale Market and strolled around Saint Peter’s Square and Castel Sant’Angelo.
Where we stayed: Il Giardino dell Argano Rosso, 3 apartments set around a garden, a short walk from Trastevere train station and Vino e Oli Residenze, comfortable serviced apartments decorated in 50’s style. Read about our experience at Vino e Oli with recommended places to eat nearby.
Centrale Montemartini
Trastevere Map
Prati Neighborhood Map
Transportation
For our spring visit we used a short-term car lease from Auto Europe. In fall we traveled by train.
Italy Books
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