Returning to Italy: How to plan your second (or third!) visit

Italy may be small in area - Canada is 33 times larger and it would fit into the United State’s California with room to spare - but the 61 million Italians spread through 20 distinct regions are a creative and interesting group. Truthfully it would take several weeks of Italy Tours and Italy Vacation Packages to even begin to feel you’ve scratched the surface of Italian art, history, culture, and entertainment.

Be forewarned! Once you have planned and enjoyed your first trip to Italy you will want to return. Exploring Italy for the first time is arguably one of the best ways to discover what you will want to ensure is on your travel itinerary for your next trip to Italy.

As the late Russian modernist poet Anna Akhmatova said, “Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life.” No matter where you choose to stay and sojourn, there is so much to explore and so much of life to embrace! Great food, fine wine, exceptional scenery, and warm hospitality make the Bel Paese (Beautiful Country) a premier holiday destination.

Think about your first Italian vacation experience. Was there something you wish you had done on your first trip? Is there something you would like to delve more deeply into? Which cities or regions would you like to visit next?

When you are planning a return trip to Italy for a second or third (or umpteenth!) holiday, it may help to choose a theme:

Explore Italy’s wine country

As beautiful as they are important to the local economy, the centuries-old wine regions are spectacular Italy vacation destinations. Several varieties of Italian wine have earned an international reputation for excellence.

Whether you are a novice wine taster or a more experienced enthusiast of fine wines, touring the Italian wine regions offers fascinating background into the history of the art of winemaking here as well as an opportunity to ask Italian winemakers and sommeliers about their beloved craft. Naturally there are also opportunities for culinary delights along the way (what is wine without food after all?) and plenty of interesting historical sites and artistic treasures.

Building an Italian vacation itinerary around wine tastings could combine, for example, our Tuscany Small Group Day Tour from Rome, into the famed Val d’Orcia for the Private Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany Wine Tour, and from Venice to take our Private Valpolicella Wine Tour from Venice and Private Friuli Wine Tour. Avventure Bellissime has many more Italy wine and food tours available and we’re always happy to help design custom Italy Tours and Italy Vacation Packages.