Follow us on Instagram: @italydreamlife
Weekly roundup
Ciao, here’s what we’re exploring this week!
What happens when you skip Rome and Venice and aim for the quieter corners instead? In Padua and Ravenna, frescoed chapels, arcaded streets, glowing mosaics, and easygoing wine bars turn everyday markets and small piazzas into your main sightseeing route.
Take a moment to see why these smaller cities might be the Italy trip you remember most.
Hidden Italy
Beyond Rome and Venice: The Italian Escape She Didn’t See Coming
Travel writer Jenna DeLaurentis skipped Italy’s superstar cities on a recent trip with her mum, heading instead for quieter Padua and Ravenna, which felt more authentically Italian and less overwhelmed by crowds.
Padua in Veneto wraps frescoed chapels, arcaded streets, and daily produce markets into a university city that still feels local first and pleasantly under the radar.
Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna swaps selfie-stick throngs for a walkable old town, glowing Byzantine mosaics, and laid-back wine bars beneath UNESCO-listed domes.
Skipping Rome, Florence, and Venice here means shorter queues, cheaper spritzes, and more time watching everyday Italian life play out on small-town piazzas.
Beyond the hotspots
Skip Amalfi, Try Salerno: Italy’s Coolest “Next” City for 2026
Salerno is a good base if you want coastal views, day trips, and a lived-in Italian city rather than a pure resort town.
The cathedral quarter and old streets offer cloisters, cool church interiors, and a lane-by-lane sense of everyday life.
Up at Arechi Castle and Giardino della Minerva, you trade the bustle for hilltop views, terraced gardens, and a slower rhythm above the bay.
Along the seafront and out to Vietri, Cetara, and Paestum, promenades, working ports, and Greek temples turn Salerno into a low-stress hub for coast-and-culture days.
Skyscanner’s 2026 list has just put Salerno in the spotlight as a trending southern city where historic alleys, sea air, and authentic local food are all within walking distance. It is the kind of place where you get access to the Amalfi Coast without Amalfi Coast prices.
City spotlight
Bye Venice, Hello Ravenna: Italy Without the Chaos
Business Insider Africa just spotlighted a different kind of Italy trip: skipping Rome, Venice, and Florence for smaller cities like Ravenna and Padua, where trains still get you everywhere, but the crowds melt away.
Quieter piazzas, waterfront promenades, and local markets replace jam-packed landmarks and hour-long lines.
By day, there are big-ticket sights like Ravenna’s fifth- and sixth-century Byzantine mosaics and Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel, then calm historic centers once the day-trippers head back to the major hubs.
Evenings are for cappelletti, Aperol Spritz, and unhurried dinners where you never need a reservation, even in the middle of town.
If you love Italy but not the shoulder-to-shoulder tourism, this “small cities over big names” approach is a smart next trip.
Do This, Not That
Rome 🇮🇹
The Colosseum is every first-timer’s dream photo, which is exactly why it can feel like a theme park by midday. The trick is seeing it while the city is still rubbing its eyes.
Do this:
Treat the Colosseum like a backstage pass, not a tourist trap. Book the first-morning skip-the-line combo for Colosseum + Forum + Palatine, grab a quick espresso at the bar next door, and walk in while the stone is still cool and the tour groups are half-asleep. It feels less like “seeing a sight” and more like you have snuck into ancient Rome before it opens for everyone else.
Not that:
Do not roll up at noon in July, buy whatever ticket the nearest tout waves at you, and stand in a sun-baked line wondering why this place is “overrated.” That is the default tourist experience, and it is entirely optional.
Itinerary of the week
Three Days in Milan 🕍
This Milan guide strings together Duomo spires, Da Vinci masterpieces, and easy day trips from Italy’s fashion capital, mixing high-fashion streets with old-world charm.
Day 1: Duomo rooftop and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, plus a guided walking tour to The Last Supper, La Scala, Sforza Castle, and the Brera District.
Day 2: Hands-on gnocchi, pasta, and tiramisu class in the evening, with a daytime food tour through local neighborhoods and street eats.
Day 3: Full-day escape by train to Lake Como or the Swiss Alps, with time for lakeside villages, chocolate tastings, and mountain views.
Expect risotto alla milanese, aperitivo spritzes, creamy tiramisu, and evenings that feel equal parts runway and historic piazza.
Italian Dish of the Week
Pizza Margherita Napoletana (Naples)
This is the original pizza, born in Napoli. A soft, thin base in the middle with a puffy, slightly charred crust, topped with San Marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. Just a few ingredients, but every one of them matters.
Why You Should Try It: If you have only had “pizza” outside Italy, you have not really met the Margherita yet. It is light, not greasy, and you can easily eat a whole one by yourself. The balance is everything: sweet tomatoes, creamy cheese, smoky crust from the wood-fired oven. It is the kind of simple food that makes you wonder why all pizza is not like this.
What Makes It Special: Locals eat this all the time, not as a “must-do tourist dish,” but as a regular weeknight meal. The dough is fermented for hours, the oven runs at almost 450–500°C, and the pizza cooks in about 60–90 seconds. That quick, intense bake gives you a soft, elastic center and those little black “leopard spots” on the crust that they are proud of, not ashamed of.
Get involved
📊 Take this edition’s poll
Aligns Milan itineraries with the experience readers value most.
This or that: the centerpiece of a three-day Milan plan
Why it matters
Choosing Padua and Ravenna over the usual hotspots is a way to trade queues and selfie sticks for real neighborhoods and unhurried evenings. You get lower prices, easier train days, and more space to actually notice the smell of coffee, the sound of church bells, and how locals use their own piazzas.
It is a reminder that the best version of Italy is often the one where you feel like a temporary local, not just another face in the crowd.
Alla prossima,
Francesca Vitali
Editor-in-Chief
Italy Dream Life
PS: Love Italy as much as we do? Follow us on Instagram @ItalyDreamLife for daily inspiration, hidden spots, and real moments from il bel paese. Because Italy isn’t just a destination—it’s a lifestyle. 🇮🇹✨
How did this edition feel?
Rate this newsletter
