Best Italy travel companies for 2026: Top tour agency Nearly 75% of travelers planning an Italian vacation report feeling overwhelmed by generic, overcrowded itineraries. The best Italy travel companies for 2026 range from large-scale global operators to regional specialists, with Storywalking ranking as the top boutique agency for authentic, immersive journeys. Finding the perfect match…

Although the high temperatures might still confuse us and force us to look at the calendar, the land shows us with undeniable certainty that fall is approaching. It also does it by presenting us with colorful pumpkins popping out from the soil. This time of the year, Italian kitchen tables begin to be covered with…

For the quintessential Italian summer month, August, we wanted to provide a preferential view of some of our best beaches. However, we cannot ignore the stress and the noise pollution you will experience when visiting the most famous Italian beaches during this month. And that for some people, will probably eclipse the astonishing beauty of…

(…continuing from the The Northern Lakes) In Umbria, the region known as the “green heart of Italy”, we find Lake Trasimeno, an extensive and tranquil body of water which is the biggest lake south of the Po River and the fourth largest in the country, with a surface area of 48 square miles. Located in…

If asked to indicate the location of the Italian lakes on a map, the gaze of the majority of tourists would focus on the northern part of the country, specifically at the foothills of the Alps. In fact, it is here where you will find the highest concentration of lakes which, due to their attractive…

PLACES OF BELONGING If you have ever visited an Italian city, you must have noticed that there is one main place where all life gravitates. More evidently, in small towns, you might have realized that people gather in a specific center that, like a strong beating heart, pumps life into the vessels of the place…

Today we visit Lucca, only 12 miles away from probably the most famous leaning tower in the world—Pisa—for a pleasant stroll through history and music. A great choice to escape the heat of touristy Florence, Lucca is on the way to the coast at only 17 miles from Viareggio—the carnival town we visited in February….

In the heart of CATANIA, the lively commercial capital of Sicily, we have discovered a monastery where layers of history coexist thanks to a modern setting and a young and respectful energy. In 1977 it became one of the locations of the University of Catania, and hosts a total of 10,000 students, but its origins…

INTRO Although it is very well-known among nationals, the quiet city of Ravenna, for no good reason, is still an underrated destination for foreign visitors. It might be because it has fallen into the shadow of other major tourist spots that exist around it, such as Bologna, Florence or Rimini. We believe that it is…

GENOA Genoa the Superb—the nickname the town received—was one of the most long-lived and powerful Maritime Republics of medieval times and, along with its historical rival Venice, is one of the best-remembered. The modern waterfront, embellished with the extraordinary work of Renzo Piano, brought new life to the historic area of the harbor. The old…

Genoa, Pisa, Amalfi, and Venice. What do these four Italian cities have in common? Besides being well-known hotspots of the Bel Paese (“beautiful country”) and running along the perimeter of the boot-shaped country, they have a glorious past to be proud of. In reality, these are only the four most famous of a group of…

Today is the revelation day in the Citadel. Majestic creatures appear at the front door of the hangars, exposed to the sunlight for the first time like newborn puppies making their first entrance into the outside world. However, it will be the public, not them, that has all the curiosity, as they are ready to…

Continues from part 2 ADDITIONAL ROLES There are different roles involved in a classic Opera dei Pupi performance, some more central than others, but these are without a doubt the cardinal figures of the performance: I manianti (the puppeteers) on one side, and o parraturi (the person who gives the voice to the pupi and plays…

MILAN is worldwide famous for its design – especially Fashion Design – its unique majestic white cathedral – the second largest in Italy, after St Peter in the Vatican – the Opera house, as well as the glamour of its Nightlife. It is not a coincidence that a few famous drink brands are originally from…

Continues from part 1 THE GOLDEN ERA The golden era of the Opera dei Pupi continued uninterrupted for a century and only started its decline in the 1950s with the arrival of cinema and finally, in the 70s, television pushed the art form into its final crisis. During its most popular period, there were dedicated…

INTRO Following the Christmas break, this month we restart our journey through Italian masks. After the alluring baroque masks of the Venetian carnival, and the wooden ones of Sauris in part one, in part two we visited Naples and saw the different ways in which art can express the deep religiousness of the people, even…

Why have we chosen a small, quiet town in the Po River Valley, in northern Italy, to celebrate our Christmas festivities, you might ask? First of all, we know that if you thought that, then you obviously haven’t visited it yet. So, this is a great reason to continue reading and find out more about…

After exploring some curiosities about the Venice Carnival and other lesser-known carnivals, for this part of the journey through masks and disguises in Italian culture, we will explore the connections with the country’s sense of religiosity. And particularly what happens where strong catholic traditions meet a solid theatrical presence and passionate attitude to life. LIVING…

Thinking of masks and disguises in Italian culture, one of the first examples that probably comes to mind is the Venetian Carnival, with its sophisticated image and refined and exclusive style. HIDING IN THE SEARCH FOR FREEDOM Certainly, this is among the most famous Carnivals in the world and one with a long historical tradition…

Summer is the best time to experience Italian culture if you like to find yourself fully immersed in the liveliness of this country’s most popular festival season. Because of its pleasant temperatures, summer is the time of year when people spend more time outdoors and it’s also when the longest holidays happen, which for children…

Huge, brightly colored rounded shapes are regularly spotted in these Tyrrhenian waters in September. They are moving slowly but steadily, supported by a favorable wind. They have recently left the tiny square, and risen into the sky followed by the eyes of hundreds of witnesses who fill the zigzagging stairs that across the facade of…

THE LOCATION The Argentario is a headland on the Tyrrhenian coast of Tuscany, two hours by car from Rome and two and a half from Florence. It is connected to the mainland by three thin strips of land, on which can be found long, relaxing sandy beaches and the flamingos of the WWF’s Natural Oasis….

Ready, steady… go! Dozens of kids are running down the hill from Santa Maria della Cima Church along via Belardi. They are stamping purposefully on a massive array of flowers with their big smiles and happy faces, unravelling the beautiful images that were laid down only a few days before. No, the trampling race is…

Twice a year the city of Siena, in Tuscany, is the picturesque setting for a race of ancient tradition: il Palio. The horse race – which has officially taken place since 1633 – is held on the 2nd July and 16th  August in the very heart of the city center. The Piazza del Campo is…

Easter has gone and has left our bellies full and satisfied, but not in the same way everywhere. Easter doesn’t have the same look across Italy, especially when it comes to food. If you know a little about Italy you will be aware that Il Bel Paese (The Beautiful Country, the nickname Italy is known…

My last Singular Tale, part of my later-day Grand Tour, came to you from Padua. From there I ventured 52 miles (84 km) to the west, across the fertile Veneto plain to the ancient city of Verona.   Say “Verona” and the first thought that comes to mind is not UNESCO World Heritage City, not…

What do wine, cheese and violins have in common? Pleasure, of course! That’s why I chose them as the first subjects of my singular tales from the road. I wrote about Monferrato in Piedmont, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its stunning vineyard vistas. Monferrato produces world-renowned DOC and DOCG wines, and its wonderful farm-to-table cuisine, its hand-dug…

Italy… How lucky I am to follow my own compass throughout this gorgeous peninsula, looking for the unusual, the breathtaking and the sublime. While I justify this rambling as research on behalf of my clients, it’s only part of the story. Travel for me is one of the most liberating and uplifting things in life…

Despite the quarantine, people in the little villages carry on with local traditions. Today we will be talking about the “Sepolcri”, special flowers characterized by atypical shapes, appearing in the darkness.  Alessandro Dimiziani, vice-mayor of Lugnano in Teverina, will introduce us to the Sepolcri and their ancient tradition. Easter talks #2: the Sepolcri in Lugnano…

While exploring the Lazio region, you will be lured into the bakeries by the smell of fresh bread and pizza, as well as other authentic Italian surprises. When you are scanning the display case looking at all of the delicious and colorful sweets, you may come across a particular cookie that will definitely catch your…

A traditional sweet you will find in Lazio, Italy food culture is the ring-shaped cookie, known as ciambelline al vino. Why “al vino” you ask? Well, the key ingredient to these seemingly simple cookies is wine. There are two types of ciambelline – white and red, made from white and red wine.  When traveling in…

On a beautiful morning in Frascati, our host and the man behind the wine, Oreste Molinari, welcomed us into his vineyard to share a homemade Italian breakfast and his passion for his own family tradition of winemaking. Oreste walked us through the vineyard while explaining to us the natural process of making wine that has…

Fichi Girotti (Girotti Figs) are a unique dessert typical of the ancient town of Amelia, located in the centre of Italy. They are dried figs stuffed with chocolate, orange peels, almonds, nuts or other dried fruits prepared following the original receipt. Umbria, a land rich in fig’s plants, is the scenery of our story Yet…

Let’s live the Holy Week in Calabria immersing ourselves in an exciting journey among religious rituals, popular cults and culinary traditions of one of the most heartfelt religious festivals in the region. At this time we will witness intense participation during the processions. The solemn procession of the “Vattienti” from Nocera Terinese, or the procession…

In the evenings from the 8th to the 24th of December we will witness the ancient fire rite of the “ ‘ndocciata” in Agnone, a town in Molise, known worldwide for its bells. We’re going to see live how they make the traditional “ ‘ndocce”, flaming torches built using trunks of white fir and bundles…

In the lively heart of the Castelli Romani, we will immerse ourselves in a beautiful baroque floral ritual:  the Infiorata in Genzano. On the occasion of the Christian celebration of Corpus Christi, we will admire the flower artists as they create their monumental carpet of petals. It’s a spectacular work of collective art composed of…