Why Italy?

Italy is the country that has it all — and where everything is a bit more beautiful, a bit more intense, and a bit more dramatic than elsewhere. There are good reasons why it has been the dream destination of Europeans for centuries:

• More UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country in the world — 59 sites (as of 2025), from the Sassi di Matera to the Amalfi Coast to the historic center of Rome. One could spend a lifetime exploring only Italy's heritage and still not see everything.
• The best cuisine in the world — This is not an exaggeration, but a statistic: Italian cuisine is the most popular worldwide. But what is considered "Italian" abroad only scratches the surface. Every region, every city, every village has its own specialties. The Carbonara in Rome tastes different than in Milan — and only in Rome is it right. Pasta, pizza, gelato, espresso, wine: Italy has defined the basics of Western culinary culture.
• Art that leaves you speechless — The Sistine Chapel, Botticelli's Birth of Venus in the Uffizi, Leonardo's Last Supper in Milan, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, the mosaics of Ravenna. Italy owns an estimated 60–70% of the world's art treasures. In hardly any other country do you stumble so often upon masterpieces — in churches, on public squares, in inconspicuous chapels.
• Scenic diversity — The Dolomites are among the most beautiful mountains on earth. The Amalfi Coast is one of the most spectacular coastal roads. Tuscany with its gentle hills, cypresses, and vineyards is the epitome of Mediterranean landscape. And then there are the volcanic islands, the lakes of Northern Italy, Sardinia's Emerald Coast, and Sicily's wild mountain landscape.
• La Dolce Vita is not a cliché — In Italy, they know how to enjoy life like nowhere else. The morning espresso at the bar, the aperitivo at 6 p.m., the long dinner with friends, the passeggiata (evening stroll) — these are not tourist clichés but lived culture. And it rubs off.
• 2,700 years of history you can touch — From the Etruscans to the Roman Empire, the Renaissance, the Baroque era to the Risorgimento: Italy has practically written every chapter of European history. And the best part: The evidence of this history is not locked away in museums but part of everyday life. In Rome, the metro passes by ancient ruins, in Florence you buy fruit in Renaissance buildings.
• Fashion & Design — Milan is one of the fashion capitals of the world. Armani, Versace, Prada, Gucci, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana — Italian design stands for elegance, craftsmanship, and sensuality. But even beyond haute couture, Italy is a country of good taste: Vespa, Bialetti moka, Murano glass, Ferrari.
• Endless wine — Italy is the largest wine producer in the world (ahead of France!) with over 500 indigenous grape varieties. Barolo and Barbaresco from Piedmont, Chianti and Brunello from Tuscany, Amarone from Veneto, Nero d'Avola from Sicily — and then the discoveries: Vermentino from Sardinia, Aglianico from Campania, Lagrein from South Tyrol.
• Family-friendly — Italians love children. Really. Bambini are welcome everywhere, even late at night in restaurants. The infrastructure for families is good, the food child-friendly (what child says no to pizza and pasta?), and the beaches — especially on the Adriatic, in Calabria, and on Sardinia — are shallow and safe.
• Short travel time — From Germany, Italy is reachable in 1.5 to 2.5 flight hours. If you take the car, you drive over the Brenner Pass in 6–8 hours to Verona or Lake Garda. And the train connections are getting better: The ÖBB Nightjet goes directly from Munich and Vienna to Rome, Venice, and Milan.

Italy is not a country you "check off." It is a country you return to again and again — and discover something new each time. This travel guide helps find the right corner for the next trip.