Italy: From Tuscan Hills to Turquoise Seas

Sunlit bustling piazzas, rolling vineyards, cliffside seas, ancient stone and a memory of flavours that linger long after the last bite. Italy is not just a place you visit, it’s a place you feel. Here are the places where Italy reveals her beauty, from the heartbeat of Rome to the quiet romance of Tuscany, to the luminous coasts of Puglia and Sicily.

Rome

Rome is a living tapestry of history… ancient ruins rising beside cafés, gelato, pizza and espresso at every corner. There is so much to see and do, but sometimes just wandering the cobblestone streets and along the Tiber is enough for me. Rome is chaotic, timeless, poetic. It sweeps you up every time.

Trastevere

Across the Tiber sits Trastevere, Rome’s bohemian soul. Terracotta buildings draped in ivy, piazzas glowing under strings of fairy lights, trattorias spilling into the streets. By day, it’s slow and sunny; by night, it becomes a warm, humming labyrinth of wine, music and shared plates. Order pasta, drink house wine, and stay until the cobblestones shine under moonlight. Trastevere makes you feel like you belong and always my choice of neighbourhood when I’m in Rome.

Florence

Florence is Renaissance romance, honey-coloured stone bridges, fancy wine bars and boutiques, and the Duomo rising magnificently over red-tiled rooftops. You wander slowly here, across Ponte Vecchio, through the all pretty streets. Try one of the many “wine windows” for an Insta-worthy photo/reel.

Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi Gallery is a Renaissance treasure chest where every corridor is like stepping inside the beating heart of European art: Botticelli’s brushstrokes, Michelangelo’s lines carved with impossible precision and masterpieces that feel both intimate and eternal. Wandering through the Uffizi is less a museum visit and more a journey that leaves you awed and humbled.

ZaZa Restaurant, Florence

ZaZa is decadent and deliciously Florentine. Order the truffle carbonara, sip red wine or limoncello spritz in the summertime, and soak in the atmosphere that feels like one long Italian hug.

Tuscany

Tuscany moves in soft, sweeping curves… vineyards stitched across hills, cypress-lined lanes, and golden fields that shimmer in late light. This is Italy’s quiet poetry. Mornings drift by with cappuccino on stone terraces; afternoons stretch into long countryside drives; evenings glow with wine, laughter and soft Tuscan air. Everything is unhurried and full of soul.

Pienza

Pienza is the jewel of Tuscany in my opinion. Cream-coloured stone, perfect piazzas and windowsills overflowing with flowers. You wander through it gently, tasting pecorino, browsing little shops and watching sunlight spill across the Val d’Orcia. From its walls, the countryside rolls endlessly, a painting come alive. An afternoon here is like a movie.

Borgo Pignano Restaurant

Set on a Tuscan estate overlooking rolling hills, Borgo Pignano feels like living inside a dream. The food is elegant and earthy, crafted from ingredients grown just steps away in their own gardens. Olive oil that tastes like sunlight, vegetables that still smell of the soil, and wines that whisper of the land. Dining here is slow, thoughtful and deeply connected to place. My favourite part was ordering a cocktail at the incredible outdoor bar shaped like a birdcage and sitting on the stunning lawn overlooking the view.

Antinori Winery

Antinori nel Chianti Classico is a masterpiece, modern architecture carved into the hillside, reflecting the colour and curve of the land. Inside, the winery feels like a cathedral of wine: grand staircases, warm terracotta, and perfectly lit aging barrels. Tastings here are elevated, precise, and unforgettable, each sip layered with centuries of Tuscan heritage.

Puglia

Puglia is the sun-drenched heel of Italy, a region where ancient olive trees twist toward the sky, whitewashed towns glow under endless blue, and the Adriatic shimmers in impossible shades of turquoise. Life here moves slowly, beautifully: long lunches in countryside masserias, magical swims in rocky coves, warm evenings wandering through labyrinthine old towns scented with sea breeze and citrus.

The landscape is a dreamy mix of trulli-dotted hills, golden fields, and coastal cliffs carved by centuries of wind and salt. Puglia feels authentic, generous, effortlessly enchanting… a place where food is soulful, the light is golden, and every day seems to stretch just a little bit longer. And the burrata, don’t forget all the burrata!!!

Cala dell’Acquaviva

A narrow cove on the Adriatic that feels like a secret. Except it’s not let me tell you! It gets super busy so be sure to arrive early to find a perfect spot to soak up the quintessential Italian atmosphere as the locals sunbathe on smooth rock ledges, laughter echoing across the cove. Cliffs folding around shimmering turquoise, it’s rugged, refreshing, and wildly beautiful.

I Tre Bacilli Boutique Hotel

Featured by Mr & Mrs Smith, I Tre Bacilli is the kind of boutique stay that captures the soul of Puglia, warm, characterful and deeply tied to its landscape. Set within the quiet countryside, the hotel is a charming hideaway wrapped in olive groves and soft Mediterranean light. Whitewashed walls, rustic stone, and thoughtful touches give the space a feeling that’s both elegant and homely. I particularly liked the stylish black pool for lazy afternoons after being at the sea. Mornings begin a slow breakfast of local produce, and evenings drift into candlelit dinners where Pugliese flavours shine. It’s intimate, authentic and romantic.

Taverna del Porto

Set by the harbour, Taverna del Porto is where fresh seafood meets breezy seaside ambience. Grilled prawns, clams in white wine, the scent of the sea floating between tables. It’s simple, salty, perfect. We adored our seafood lunch here.

Cave of Poetry (Grotta della Poesia)

The Cave of Poetry is a natural pool carved next to the ocean, so turquoise it almost glows. Swimmers leap from limestone ledges into water carved by centuries of sea and wind. Sunlight filters into the circular pool, turning it into a mythic, luminous well. It feels like swimming in a poem.

**Do be warned, at the gate the security guards will tell you that you are not allowed to swim in the cave and that it is protected. Just like everything else in Italy, this is just a “guide” and in fact everyone is still swimming in the cave.

Lo Scalo, Novaglie

Lo Scalo sits right at the water’s edge of a beautiful Puglian marina… tables perched above the rocks, waves breaking softly below. The food is refined coastal Puglia: raw seafood, handmade pastas, bright citrus and wines that taste like long summer afternoons. Lunch here lingers into late afternoon without you noticing. Try their Negroni, my favourite of the trip!

Castro Marina

A cliffside port town dripping with charm and crystalline water. Boats bob in electric blue, restaurants line the marina, and the stone paths glow warm under the sun. Swim, eat, wander, repeat – Castro Marina is pure Italian summer.

Polignano a Mare

White cliffside houses perched over the bluest of water, Polignano a Mare is almost too beautiful to be real. Wander its stone arches, duck into tiny alleys, stand at the viewpoint and watch the sea crash dramatically against the cliffs. And when the sun sets, the whole town glows warm and golden. In the summertime they have spectacular cliff diving competitions and on a hot Puglian summer day the tiny pebbled beach and stunning cove are positively brimming with tourists and locals alike.

Masseria il Frantoio

Hidden in the countryside near Ostuni, this masseria is a world of olive groves, stone courtyards overflowing with bouganvilliea, long lunches and dinners with recipes passed through generations. Their tasting menus unfold like stories, dish after dish celebrating the land that surrounds you. It’s authentic, generous, unforgettable.

Alberobello

A fairytale come alive. Whitewashed trulli cluster together like tiny mushrooms, each cone-shaped roof unique and steeped in tradition. The town feels like a small dream built of stone and sky. I suggest coming in the late afternoon, we came mid-morning and it was far too hot.

Martina Franca

Baroque balconies, elegant piazzas, marble paving gleaming brilliant white and winding lanes shaded by grand palazzi. Martina Franca feels refined and aristocratic, a beautiful contrast to the rugged countryside around it. We were in Puglia during a heatwave and could not find a restaurant here with AC. Be warned the towns get very hot mid-summer.

Ostuni

The White City rises above olive groves like a mirage, glowing white stone full of pretty terraces. From its hilltop, the Adriatic glimmers in the distance. Ostuni is effortlessly chic. We had dinner overlooking the sunset view with the elegant sound of music floating by, a night to remember.

Matera

Matera is ancient and hauntingly beautiful, stone cave dwellings stacked inside a canyon, glowing honey-gold at sunset. Walking through the Sassi feels like stepping through centuries, every turn revealing another carved doorway, another echo of the past. Matera feels sacred, cinematic, unforgettable.

Sicily

Sicily is a land of contrasts, wild, sun-soaked and soulful. Here, ancient ruins rise beside turquoise bays, markets burst with colour and fragrance, and volcanic landscapes meet baroque cities buzzing with life. From the golden streets of Palermo to the dramatic cliffs of Taormina, Sicily feels rich with history and emotion... an intoxicating blend of grit and beauty that sweeps you up the moment you arrive.

Palermo

Palermo is chaotic and colourful. Markets shouting with energy, baroque facades towering over narrow streets, the scent of salt and citrus drifting through the air. It’s raw, vibrant, unapologetic Sicily – and I absolutely loved it.

Mondello

Just outside Palermo lies Mondello, a stretch of beach covered in umbrellas and lively beach clubs. Pale brown sand and turquoise water backed by art nouveau villas. Locals float lazily in the calm sea, gelato in hand, music drifting from beach bars. It’s vintage summer… sunny and full of joy.

Taormina

Taormina is a dream… bougainvillea-draped balconies, medieval lanes, a cliffside jewel suspended between the deep blue Ionian Sea and the smoky, commanding presence of Mount Etna. Wandering its streets feels like stepping into a sun-drenched dream: bougainvillea spilling in cascades of magenta, stone archways framing glimpses of turquoise water, and elegant boutiques tucked between trattorias that have been feeding families for generations.

Days unfold slowly here: granita for breakfast, a cable car ride down to Isola Bella’s pebbled shores, an afternoon drinking apetif on terraces scented with jasmine, evenings drifting into long, leisurely dinners as the town glows under lantern light. I love love loved the pretty instagrammable blue and yellow umbrellas at the beach club.

Taormina is romantic and dramatic!

TWB Tips for Italy

• Getting around: Trains for cities, car for Tuscany & Puglia. Allow time to wander.

• When to go: May–June and September–October for perfect weather and softer crowds. We went in July and suffered through a heatwave.

• What stays with you: The history of Rome. The stunning hills of Tuscany. The impossible turquoise of Puglia. The pure magic of Sicily.