Rehearse your Italy trip before you go

Entry rules by passport

Checked Oct 2026. Rules change: check the embassy or official site before you travel.

Traps travellers fall into

In the game these hide among the recommendations. See if you can spot them.

• Touted restaurant by the Trevi RomeAvoid places touting by landmarks with picture menus in five languages; go a few streets back
• A 'skip the line' tout outside the Vatican RomeBuy timed tickets on the Vatican Museums' official site in advance; ignore street touts
• The famous panino queue FlorenceThe Instagram panino place can mean an hour's wait; markets and neighbours are just as good
• A picture-menu restaurant facing the Duomo FlorencePicture menus with everything, facing a landmark, are for tourists. Go two or three streets back
• Coffee on St Mark's Square VeniceSt Mark's cafés with live music add a music charge; treat it as an experience, or drink standing at the bar
• A picture-menu place at the Rialto VeniceEat in bacari and osterie away from the main sights, and check for a cover charge
• A place with 'spaghetti bolognese' BolognaBologna's ragù goes with flat tagliatelle; a 'spaghetti bolognese' menu usually means a tourist place
• Birdseed in your hand MilanDon't accept anything handed to you outside the cathedral; bracelets and birdseed come with a bill
• Men dressed as gladiators RomeColosseum ‘gladiators’ demand money after photos; say no and walk away
• Scooters in a narrow lane NaplesIn Naples' lanes, keep your phone away from the road side; stop to check maps

Month by month

• JanuaryJanuary in Rome is about 12°C; northern mornings dip below freezing.
• FebruaryFebruary in Rome is about 13°C. Venice holds its Carnival (30 January – 9 February 2027), packed with masks and visitors.
• MarchMarch in Rome reaches about 16°C. Easter (28–29 March) packs the area around the Vatican.
• AprilApril is a pleasant 19°C as spring visitors start to crowd in.
• MayMay reaches about 23°C, one of the best months.
• JuneJune reaches about 28°C with strong sun and busy sights.
• JulyJuly reaches 31–33°C and tops 38°C in a heatwave; avoid the ruins at midday.
• AugustAugust reaches 31–33°C. Around Ferragosto (15 August) many small shops and restaurants close.
• SeptemberSeptember eases to about 27°C, with the grape harvest.
• OctoberOctober reaches about 22°C with more rain; the clocks go back at the end of the month.
• NovemberLate November: Rome around 15°C; Venice's high-water season.
• DecemberDecember in Rome is about 14°C; Milan and Venice are about 7°C, sometimes foggy.

Sample routes

• ClassicClassic: Rome, Florence, VeniceAncient Rome, the Renaissance and the water city: the essential three.Rome → Florence → Venice
• DetourDetour: Milan to food-loving BolognaMilan, Venice, then gourmet Bologna on the way to Florence.Milan → Venice → Bologna → Florence
• Off the pathOff the path: the south and the cave townRome, then Naples for pizza and Pompeii, then a night in Matera's caves.Rome → Naples → Matera

Hidden gems

• Aventine keyhole RomePeek through a keyhole and St Peter's dome is perfectly framed.
• San Miniato al Monte FlorenceA Romanesque jewel on the hill; monks sometimes sing Gregorian chant at vespers.
• Cicchetti at a Rialto bacaro VeniceA tiny standing bar by the Rialto market: creamed salt cod, gorgonzola-and-anchovy and more cicchetti, made fresh all morning. Lunchtime only; closed Sunday.
• San Bernardino alle Ossa MilanA small chapel walled with human bones.
• Archiginnasio anatomical theatre BolognaThe carved-wood anatomy theatre of Europe's oldest university.
• Napoli Sotterranea tour NaplesAncient cisterns and wartime shelters 40 m below the street.
• View from the Murgia park MateraHike down and across the ravine for the full view of the Sassi.
• Quartiere Coppedè RomeA small quarter of fairytale buildings.

20 more to find in the game.

Before you go

• Install a travel eSIMMaps and booking confirmations
• Pack clothes covering knees and shouldersVatican and cathedral dress codes
• Look up Italian mealtimesDinner from 7:30 p.m.