Italy
Fast Facts about Visiting Italy
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How Do I Pay?
Credit card payments & Apple Pay are widely accepted (even off the beaten track), though you may have trouble with AMEX. Gas stations often require a physical card with a PIN.
If given the option, always choose EUR over your own currency on the card reader to get the best exchange rate.
How Common is English?
We’ve found more English than expected in off-the-beaten-track areas, but don’t expect much more than the necessities outside the big cities.
For Puglia or Sicily, be sure to brush up on your basic Italian. (Or come armed with an eSIM so you can always have Google Translate at the ready!)
When to Visit?
April to June and September to October offer the best balance of warm weather & fewer crowds!
That said, I’m always partial to July & August in Puglia or Sicily! August 15th is Ferragosto (a national holiday), so expect some businesses to be closed that week.
Visa Rules?
A Schengen visa is required for many non-EU nationals (90-days total in 30 Schengen area countries).
Heads up: From mid-2025, you’ll need an ETIAS authorization to visit Italy (and elsewhere in Europe) if you’re from a country that normally doesn’t require a visa—like the US, Canada, or Australia. It’s quick, easy, done entirely online, and valid for three years.
Where to Fly Into?
Many long-haul flights: Rome (FCO), Milan (MXP), Naples (NAP)
Some long-haul flights: Venice (VCE), Palermo (PMO), Catania (CTA), Bari (BRI)
Regional European airports: Bologna (BLQ), Florence (FLR), Pisa (PSA), Brindisi (BDS), and plenty more!
How to Get Around?
Trains are excellent for traveling between major cities. They’re comfortable, clean, and usually pretty timely!
Renting a car is basically necessary to see the countryside and smaller towns. We’ve rented both regular cars (diesel is most common in Italy) and EVs, and find driving in Italy very straightforward!
SPOTLIGHT ON
Puglia
Puglia is Italy at its most effortlessly charming – whitewashed hill towns, stunning beaches, and plates piled high with orecchiette.
There’s not much “to do” on the heel of Italy’s boot aside from bask in the summer sun and stroll lively piazzas after dark, but slowing down to the locals’ pace is exactly what you go there for! Puglia’s your chance to get off the beaten track and sneak a taste of the Italy you’ve dreamed about.
THE BIG QUESTION
Valle d’Itria
or
Salento?
Check out the rest of my Puglia posts!
Naples, 1950s. Coming-of-age. Inseparable best friends push against the limits of their world.
Naples, postwar Italy. Family myths. A son untangles the truth about his father—an irascible, frustrated artist.
Italy. Travel and identity. Rachel Cusk searches for meaning in art, history, and herself.
Sicily, 1860s. Aristocracy in decline. A prince watches his world fade as Italy unites around him.
Italy, 1950s. Charm and deception. Tom Ripley reinvents himself—at any cost.
Sicily. Mystery and corruption. Inspector Montalbano follows the clues no one wants him to.
Sicily, 1960s. Mafia. Silence and fear. A murder in broad daylight—everyone claims not to have seen a thing.
SPOTLIGHT ON
Sicily
Sicily is where history, culture, and natural beauty collide – from ancient ports that feel alive with the past to sun-drenched beaches and mountaintop villages that perch dramatically over the sea.
This island isn’t about rushing through sights – it’s about savoring every moment, from wandering aimlessly through the bustling streets of Palermo to enjoying an afternoon granita by the sea in Taormina. Sicily would take a lifetime to explore properly, but for now… here’s where to start!
Check out the rest of my Sicily posts!
