Italy is one of the most beautiful countries you will ever visit. From the fantastic food to the spectacular history, Italy offers a diverse range of travel experiences for every type of traveller. Whether you are thinking about your first visit or are a regular visitor, here’s a guide to what’s new in Italy along with a few useful tips to help you plan your 2024 escape.
World-renowned hotels and restaurants
Stay at Passalacqua the world’s best hotel on stunning Lake Como. The prestigious World’s 50 Best Organization named the Lake Como villa as the World’s Best Hotel for 2023. The tiny, 24-room hotel only just opened in June 2022 after a years-long restoration to its 18th-century building which has played host to guests as illustrious as Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, and Vincenzo Bellini.
Dine at Italy’s freshly crowned top restaurants. Osteria Francescana in Modena (Emilia-Romagna) and Reale in Castel di Sangro (Abruzzo) have been named the top restaurants in Italy by the 2024 guide from Gambero Rosso, a leading Italian food and wine publisher. The chefs at the helm of the winning restaurants, Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana) and Niko Romito (Reale), each earned 96 out of 100 possible points.
New travel experiences and places to stay
A historic palazzo in Lecce has been reimagined as an art-led hotel. In the Puglian town of Lecce, the seven-suite Palazzo Luce boutique in the town’s historic centre is the brainchild of Milanese art collector Anna Maria Enselmi. Now transformed into an art and design-filled hotel, contemporary art lies at the heart of the 14th-century palazzo, once the residence of Maria d’Enghien, countess of Lecce and Queen of Naples.
Rome to Pompeii on Italy’s latest high-speed rail connection. A new, direct high-speed train service from Rome to Pompeii will hit the tracks in 2024. Operated by Trenitalia, it will connect the capital with the popular archaeological site in southern Italy’s Campania region in under two hours.
Pompeii was buried by volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E. and has since become an archaeological park. The service will make for a perfect day or overnight trip, the service departing Rome at 8:53am and then back to the capital from Pompeii at 6:40pm. Initially, it will run on the third Sunday of every month, with plans to increase in future.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express ups the ante. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, has recently added new carriages to its existing fleet, allowing passengers to travel in pure luxury with new Grand Suites featuring double beds with private bathrooms, each themed on the journey’s lakes, mountains and forests. The new suites also now allow for a dining area for afternoon tea and breakfast, along with a concealed bathroom hiding a wooden toilet, a glass sink and a mosaic-tiled shower cubicle featuring rainfall showerheads.
Lesser-known destinations to uncover
Is Puglia Italy’s newest hot spot? While Instagram suggests Amalfi is Italy’s prettiest coastline, the heel of Italy, Puglia, offers a quieter and authentic Italian experience with the same jaw-dropping scenes as its more well-trodden counterpart.
Visit the UNESCO-listed town of Alberobello to see the iconic trulli houses, explore the baroque architecture of Lecce, and enjoy Puglian cuisine with dishes like orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe and the famous Puglian burrata cheese.
Perfect Piedmont is culture without the crowds. Famous across the globe for its food, wine, and stunning scenery, the Piedmont region is a treat for all the senses and surprisingly under-visited. Visiting from mid-March is the best season to taste local black truffles, decadent chocolate treats from the Cherasco commune, artisanal cheeses in the town of Bra, and wines of the Barolo appellation.
Piedmont is also a poster child for two of travel’s buzziest trends: slow travel and wellness. The region is a perfect place to savour the experiences, tastes, and culture and is home to spa towns like Acqui Terme which offers numerous wellness centres and thermal baths where you can relax and rejuvenate.
Travel tips and advice for 2024
Book in advance as airfares get snapped up in 2024. With reduced capacity and elevated demand affecting flight availability since the pandemic period, low-priced airfares are still expected to be harder to come by next year. But fear not; the travel rule of thumb is that the earlier you purchase your plane ticket, the easier it’ll be on your wallet.
“With visitation now close to resembling pre-pandemic travel, 2023 has been a bumper year for travel. Italy had one of the busiest summer seasons we have seen in years in terms of visitor numbers and forward bookings,” said Emanuele Attanasio, Country Manager, Italian National Tourist Board Australia & New Zealand.
“We’re looking at another busy year for travel in Italy, so it’s best to book as early as you can. If it is possible, really try and look at off-peak or shoulder season travel. Not only is it less busy on the ground, but you can save on airfares too.”
Consider the opportunities for year-round travel. The middle of the Australian winter coincides with the European school summer holidays, which means many travellers looking to escape the winter chill find themselves in Europe’s peak season.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows a record 130,510 Australian residents returned from a short trip to Italy between June and August, almost double the number who visited during the same period a decade ago.
In 2024, why not consider travelling in June and September which offers summer-like weather and is a time when even the most well-trodden destinations are quieter making it easier to see the sights and make restaurant reservations.
Consider lesser-known destinations in peak season. If travelling to Italy over the peak period is a must, have faith that Italy’s lesser-known destinations are filled with equally high-quality travel experiences.
Procida, off the coast of Naples, has all the Capri charm without the crowds and offers the same characteristic jaw-dropping natural landscapes. If you’re dreaming of a Tuscan escape, why not try Umbria, it has a deep and rich culture, a history stretching back to pre-Roman times and wines and culinary traditions you won’t find anywhere else in Italy.
“We want to ensure visitors always have the best experience in Italy no matter what time of year they travel, and visitors can avoid overtourism by making time in their itinerary for other unique destinations and experiences. Think agritourism in Italy’s rural regions, alpine snow sports in winter, or exploring Italy’s lesser-known islands throughout the year,’ Attanasio added.
Tap your inner Italian and experience the year of ‘roots tourism’. With an estimated 1.2 million Australians of Italian descent, the Italian National Tourist Board (INTB) will promote ‘roots’ tourism in 2024, encouraging travellers with ancestral ties to visit smaller municipalities across the country.
“Italian descendants often visit smaller regions and travel year-round outside of peak periods, which helps contribute to our mission of encouraging visitor dispersal across the country, and the seasons,” said Attanasio.
