Italian Culture and Lifestyle

While mass tourism seems to be wreaking havoc on the world’s most beautiful destinations, others lay untouched just off the tourist radar. Even Italy, which attracts 60 million visitors a year, is filled with regions and territories that are virtually unknown and spared the crowds. All you need to do is get off-the-beaten-path and travel like a local. Sounds easy enough, right? With its medieval...

While you probably don’t head to Italy’s major art cities to go to the beach, with many of them you can. Here are coastal areas close to some of Italy's top culture stops (listed alphabetically) that are good for a seaside break after a morning of museum hopping when temperatures soar. From simple village beaches to jet-set havens, Genoa and its neighboring towns offer plenty of options for sun...

Even in a region renowned for its pastoral beauty, Tuscany's Val d’Orcia stands out. Considered by many to be the most beautiful part of a legendarily beautiful area, Val d’Orcia, stretching from the hilly terrain south of Siena to the environs of Monte Amiata, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site for its rural splendor and the historic land-management practices during the Renaissance that...

Nestled in northwest Italy, between the foothills of the western Alps and Apennines, lies the country’s second largest region: Piedmont, or Piemonte, in Italian. Home to the House of Savoy, Italy’s ruling dynasty until 1946, it’s no surprise this area birthed the king of Italian wines. While Barolo reigns supreme, an array of indigenous grapes call Piedmont home. “Part of the greatness of this...