Gazing down on the 'eternal city' from Piazza Garibaldi, it's easy to see why Rome has inspired and captivated travellers for centuries and why cheap holidays to Italy are so popular. The magnificent Pantheon, Colosseum and pre-Christian temples of the Forum, visible among umbrella pines and golden haze, preside over busy Roman life. A visit to Italy's capital is an unparalleled experience.
All visits may eventually lead to Rome, but the misshapen boot of Italy is laced with many other places worthy of a visit. The north, characterised by its industrious nature and alpine weather, has super-stylish power-house Milan, laid back Turin, and well fed Bologna to explore.
Beyond the sophisticated plazas of Verona rise the jagged peaks of the Dolomites where a well-maintained network of routes attracts a world class of trekkers and climbers.
One thing certain to grab you on cheap holidays to Italy is the architecture and it's particularly spectacular in the waterfront palaces of Venice, the renaissance piazzas of Florence, the magnificently teetering hillcrest villages of Umbria, and the ancient petrified towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Italy's south, inspires thoughts of village-life where once the only sounds were the flapping of brightly coloured washing, a solitary Vespa put-putting and distant trill of church bells. The whitewashed towns of Calabria, Puglia and coastal villages of Sicily and Sardinia fulfil this image perfectly.
Noisy, dramatic and vibrant, Naples is the joker in the pack. Life in this black-sheep city is reminiscent of watching an opera unfold on its streets. It's also a gateway to the Amalfi Coast, which for many on cheap holidays to Italy, represents the most exquisite union of urban and bucolic.
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