The playground of legends, Italy has birthed empires, Renaissance masterpieces, fine cuisine and famous wines. Families, history buffs, foodies, and honeymooners travel to Italy for a slice of antiquity and a taste of village life under the Mediterranean sun.
Get lost in the Italian Riviera’s sun-kissed villages that cascade down the mountainsides to the Mediterranean Sea. Savour the feasts of Italy’s best-kept food secret, the sagra food festivals, where richly flavoured Porcini mushrooms, Pecorino cheese, and robust wines precede a siesta. Vendors proudly display their wares and you may even catch a glimpse of the truffle-hunting dog race.
The charming and refined Florencian Campanile di Giotto and Rome’s Spanish Steps bring the history of these ancient cities and towns to life. Tales of power struggles still linger in the Colosseum air, while the Sistine Chapel and Statue of David capture the Italian spirit. Discover Italy in its markets, café-lined cobbled streets and on the gondolas that travel Venice’s lacework of Adriatic canals which skim centuries-old architecture.
Wherever your Italy holiday takes you, your experience will be food for your soul. Browse our Italy holiday packages deals below and prepare for a journey back in time.
The best time travel to Italy is between April and October, when temperatures are warmer and colours are richer.
Get around on foot, using taxis or trains, and in Venice, a gondola.
You will need a Schengen visa to travel to Italy from South Africa.
Italians can be abrupt but it’s cultural, not personal, so have another glass of wine and smile.
Italy’s travel guides lead you to out-of-the-way villages where the colourful lifestyles of years gone by still feature heavily in everyday life.
Venice - Laze in a gondola and get lost in the tangle of Venetian canals.
Colosseum - Explore the battle-scarred playground of gladiators and emperors.
Amalfi Coast - Explore the peaches-and-cream fishing villages on the southern edge of Italy.
Isle of Capri - Visit a little bit of heaven in the Blue Grotto, a unique product of nature.
Leaning Tower of Pisa - Step inside the marble campanile and see the city from a different angle.
Sistine Chapel - Admire Michelangelo’s masterpiece; the cornerstone of the Renaissance.
Lake Como - Taste life and fine food in a pastel-coloured town favoured by celebrities.
Milan - Embrace the urban-chic styles modelled down ancient cobbled streets.
Florence - Feast your eyes and treat your palate to full-bodied wines.
Rome - Sip Lazio wines among the Baroque architecture of Piazza Navona.
Pre-book activities and tours to avoid long queues.
Take sunnies, a hat, sunblock and a dictionary
Include drinks in your packages, but give yourself options to eat out.
Train compartments are separated into males in one and females in another, unless you book a private compartment.
You want an Insalate Verde to offset the worthwhile empty wine calories? You’ll only get a bowl of lettuce drizzled with olive oil, but it’ll be the best lettuce you ever tasted.
Exchange currency before you travel to Italy - it’s economical and convenient.
Take bug spray; yes, Italy has mosquitos and they love second-hand fine wine.
