travel from rome italy to florence italy

How to Travel from Rome to Florence by Train, Bus, Car, and Plane

TripSavvy /  Hilary Allison

Rome and Florence are two of Italy's most historic cities, separated by several centuries and 174 miles. The ruins of Rome hark back to its days as the then-capital of civilization over 2,000 years ago, while Florence flourished much later as the birthplace of the Renaissance. Both cities boast art, churches, history, and cuisine unlike anywhere else in the world, and a visit to both is standard for most travelers coming to Italy .

Thankfully, Rome and Florence are easily connected by the train and you can reach one from the other in under two hours. The bus takes more than twice as long, but it's the cheapest way to move between them. A car is fun to explore the Tuscan countryside and for day trips, but it's a headache to have in the city. There are also direct flights, but they're pricey and end up taking longer than the train.

What Is the Cheapest Way to Get From Rome to Florence?

Travelers on a budget can use the bus for travel to Florence for dirt cheap prices on FlixBus , sometimes for as low as $10. It takes about two to three hours longer than the train, but it's a viable option when euros are running short, especially for last-minute plans. Trains and buses both go up in price as your travel date gets closer, but if you're flexible with your departure time, you can often find bus tickets for under $20 even for same-day trips.

Buses leave Rome from Tiburtina station and arrive in Florence at Villa Costanza, which is about 25 minutes outside of the city center and accessible via the local tram, which takes passengers to the main train station. The tram only runs from 5:30 a.m. until midnight, so think twice before booking a late-night bus that arrives in Florence in the early morning or you may be stuck hiring a taxi, totally negating your savings by using the bus.

 What Is the Fastest Way to Get From Rome to Florence?

The easiest way to travel around Italy is, without a doubt, the train, especially when traveling between major cities like Rome and Florence. Trains are comfortable, fast, and affordable—especially when booked with advance notice—and are the transport of choice for locals and visitors alike.

You can reserve a train through Italy's state-run rail service, Trenitalia , or the privately owned Italo . Both companies are comparable in price and comfort, so look at tickets on both websites before making your purchase. You can also use RailEurope to compare the two companies on one website, although RailEurope charges a small commission when checking out. Less expensive regional trains are also an option, but they take two to four hours and do not have reserved seats.

Trenitalia trains leave from Termini and Tiburtina stations in Rome, while Italo trains depart from Tiburtina and Ostiense stations. If you're staying in Rome near Termini or Ostiense, choose the respective company that serves that station in order to avoid crossing the entire city with all of your luggage.

All trains arrive in Florence Santa Maria Novella Station —sometimes written as "Firenze SMN"—the main station of the Tuscan capital. This accessible city is easily traversed on foot, although taxis are allowed to enter the car-free city center if you need to haul luggage to your hotel.

How Long Does It Take to Drive?

You won't need a car in Florence, and in fact, you can't even bring your vehicle into the historic city center, so having a car can actually be more of a headache than it's worth. Plus, trying to get out of the madness of Rome in a car is every driver's worst nightmare. When you add up the costs of the rental, gas, and tolls on Italy's autostrada highways, driving isn't very cost-effective either.

Despite the inconveniences, the journey from Rome to Florence is a beautiful one, passing through the rich countryside of Umbria and Tuscany. And even though you can enjoy the same scenery from the window of a train or bus, only a car gives you the flexibility to stop in the charming Italian villages you'll pass along the way to enjoy a hearty lunch and a local Chianti wine. You can also take day trips from Florence if you have your own vehicle, such as to nearby Pisa with its famous leaning tower or Siena .

How Long Is the Flight?

Direct flights by Alitalia get you from Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) in Rome to Florence Airport (FLR) in under an hour, but the total travel time taking into account transport to the airport, checking in, going through security, and waiting at the gate is actually much longer. The train is clearly the winner in terms of transport, taking only 30 minutes more but shuttling passengers directly from city center to city center. Plus, low-cost airlines don't fly to Florence, so in addition to being more of a hassle, the flight is also significantly more expensive.

When Is the Best Time to Travel to Florence?

Florence is one of those cities that seems to be always packed with tourists, so the best time to visit is really a question of visiting when the city is busy or very busy . Late spring to early fall is the high season, especially the summer months when it's full of study abroad students and the temperatures are uncomfortably hot. Winter and early spring are when there are fewer tourists but the weather is more likely to be cold and rainy. To balance out crowds with the climate, aim for a trip in March or April, making sure to avoid the week leading up to Easter when most schools are on break.

Can I Use Public Transportation to Travel From the Airport?

The easiest way to travel from the airport to Florence is via the Volainbus, which shuttles passengers directly to the Florence Train Station. Since only taxis are allowed in the historic center, you'll need to take a cab if you want door-to-door service. The taxi fare from the airport is a set price that varies based on the time of day, but it starts at 22 euros—or about $26—for daytime rides, plus a small supplement for pieces of luggage.

What Is There to Do in Florence?

Lovers of art, history, food, wine, culture, and shopping all have something to enjoy in Florence. The local cathedral, or Duomo , is one of the most impressive in all of Italy with its bright pink and green facade and massive brick dome. The Ponte Vecchio , or Old Bridge, is the only remaining bridge from Florence's medieval days, offering unbeatable views of the city along the Arno River. The Uffizi Gallery and Galleria dell'Accademia are two of the most important art museums in Europe, the latter of which is home to Michaelangelo's "David" . Travelers who love to shop will have plenty to keep themselves busy with while in Florence, from street stalls selling local handicrafts and genuine leather to high-end designer products, such as the original Gucci store. Apart from renowned Tuscan wines, other local items to try include artichoke panini, any kind of gelato, and the mouthwatering Florentine steak.

The distance between the two cities is 174 miles.

The three-hour drive is scenic, taking you through Umbria and Tuscany, but in the two city centers, it can be hectic.

Rome and Florence are connected by a train that takes 1.5 hours. You can choose from a few different companies to find prices and schedules that suit your trip.

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From Rome to Florence: 5 Best Ways to Get There

Written by Diana Bocco Updated May 26, 2022 We may earn a commission from affiliate links ( )

There are several options to get you from Rome to Florence: You can jump on a high-speed train for speed and convenience, save money by traveling on a long-distance bus, or try local buses and trains for even bigger savings without missing out on the views along the way.

For those who want speed, there are also many flights every week between the two cities. Organized tours of Florence are also available for those who prefer the company of a knowledgeable guide to show them the best corners of the city.

The capital city of the Tuscany region, Florence is often considered the birthplace of the Renaissance and the best destination in Italy for art lovers. Florence is just close enough for a day trip from Rome – albeit a long one – so you can discover the beauty of this ancient city and then head straight back to your hotel in Rome at the end of the day.

Whether you're visiting to see the famous art, discover the local architecture, or explore the Tuscan countryside, here's our list of the best ways to get from Rome to Florence.

On This Page:

• From Rome to Florence by Tour
• From Rome to Florence by Train
• From Rome to Florence by Bus
• From Rome to Florence by Plane
• From Rome to Florence by Car

1. From Rome to Florence by Tour

If you're hoping to visit Florence as a day trip and then return to Rome, a Florence and Pisa Day Trip from Rome is the perfect solution. Plus, this tour also gets you to Pisa for some additional great memories.

This 12-hour round-trip tour starts at 7am in the heart of Rome (hotel pickup is also available for centrally located hotels), where your driver and English-speaking guide will pick you up in an air-conditioned coach. From here, you'll drive south for three and a half hours, enjoying the views of olive groves and the sounds of the Tevere River as you crisscross through the Tuscan countryside.

Your first stop on your way to Florence is at the Pisa Cathedral, followed by the Piazza dei Miracoli and the Pisa Baptistery of St. John. You'll then make a quick stop at the Tower of Pisa, located just behind the cathedral, so you can take some photos of the world-famous leaning tower.

From here, your trip continues until you arrive in Florence, where you'll have a chance to see many masterpieces of the Renaissance, including the Accademia Gallery, where Michelangelo's famous David sculpture is housed. You'll also stop by to check out the Florence Duomo and Giotto's Bell Tower , as well as the medieval Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River and Piazza della Signoria ,

2. From Rome to Florence by Train

The Frecciarossa high-speed train (also known as the "red arrow train") is the fastest way to cover the route between Rome and Florence, though not the cheapest.

These modern trains travel between Rome and Florence at a speed of almost 300 kilometers per hour and take about 90 minutes to reach their destination. Frecciarossa trains come equipped with air-conditioned cars, a café car, Wi-Fi, and electrical outlets. It's also possible to buy drinks and snacks from a food cart without ever leaving your seat.

Another great option is the ItaloTreno, which offers four different classes (referred to as "Travel Ambiences") depending on how much comfort you want and how much you're willing to pay for it: Smart, Comfort, Prima, and Club Executive. Smart is the cheapest option, with comfortable reclining leather seats, free Wi-Fi, and a snack area with vending machines. Comfort is similar but adds more legroom and gives you the option of single seats if you want more privacy.

Prima (the equivalent to First Class) offers a Fast Track check-in and a welcome service with snacks, coffee, and drinks brought directly to you, plus wider and more comfortable seats. Club Ambiance is the ultimate option, with a Club Lounge at the station, on-board catering service, personal screens for each seat so you can watch movies, and spacious armchair-like seats.

If cost is a concern, there are also cheaper regional trains available on this route, but they take much longer and often require at least one change along the way, while high-speed trains are direct.

If you are planning on taking the train several times while in Italy, an Italy Rail Pass will save you both time and money. Otherwise, you can also save money on high-speed trains by buying your tickets as early as possible (at least a week in advance for the best prices).

Trains leave from either Roma Tiburtina or Rome Termini train stations as early as 5:35am and as late as 9:30pm. There are trains every 30 minutes, so if you miss one or didn't get a ticket in advance, you can always just wait for the next one, though keep in mind that high-speed trains do require a seat reservation, so it would not be possible to just jump on the next one if you miss yours.

Catch a daytime train if possible, so you can enjoy the views of the scenic Tuscany region along the way.

All trains arrive at the Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station, from where you can access public transportation to reach any destination within the city.

3. From Rome to Florence by Bus

Buses are the cheapest form of transportation between Rome and Florence and one of the most convenient, as there are over 20 buses every day that make the trip from one city to the other.

Buses leave from either Roma Tiburtina or Roma Anagnina bus stations and arrive at either the Firenze Via Santa Caterina da Siena or the Firenze A1 bus station. The route can take anywhere from 3.5 to five hours , depending on which buses you choose and if they make stops along the way.

Baltour, Flixbus, and Eurolines France companies all travel this route, with tickets starting at single-digit prices if you buy well in advance and choose non-peak hours (very early morning tickets and late evening tickets tend to be cheaper, as they're more inconvenient).

The earliest bus on this route leaves from Rome at 1:40am and the last one at 11:35pm, arriving in Florence the next calendar day.

4. From Rome to Florence by Plane

There's an average of four flights a week from Rome to Florence, all of them departing from Rome's Fiumicino Airport (FCO) and arriving at Florence Airport (FLR). The route is only covered by Alitalia Airlines , the flag carrier of Italy – low-cost airlines such as RyanAir and JetAir don't fly this route, which means you won't be able to find super cheap flights no matter what time of year you're flying.

While the flight from Rome to Florence is only 55 minutes long, getting to the airport requires a 30-minute ride on the Leonardo Express train. The train departs from the main train station in Rome, Termini, every 30 minutes. When you add to that the time to check-in and get through security, it would actually be faster to take a train between the cities, so keep that in mind when considering options.

If you do choose to fly to Florence, you will need to take a taxi or catch the Volainbus shuttle bus to get to the city once you arrive. Buses depart from the airport every 30 minutes and arrive at the Santa Maria Novella train station 20 minutes later. From here, visitors can grab a taxi or walk to their favorite destinations in Florence .

5. From Rome to Florence by Car

The drive from Rome to Florence is stunningly beautiful, but it's also 274 kilometers long if you don't make any stops. That's slightly over three hours in good traffic , so likely not ideal for a day trip. But if you're staying overnight, it's worth renting a car, so you can enjoy the beauty of the Tuscan countryside and make several stops along the way for some great photo opportunities.

Most of the drive is on the Austostrada 1 (A1), a toll highway, so have cash (Euros) or your debit card ready for when you get to a toll booth. Also keep in mind that every time you exit the highway to explore a town or attraction, you'll get another toll ticket as you reenter.

The town of Orvieto , with its amazing Etruscan history and views over the Tuscan countryside, is worth some time. Then there's also Cortona , the town featured in the book (and movie) Under the Tuscan Sun .

Keep in mind that you usually cannot park in the town center, so having a car is a bit of an inconvenience once you reach a town (and you'll have the same issue in Florence city center). To save you time and headaches, search online for parking areas in advance, so you can drive directly there once you arrive.

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Florence , Rome

How to get from rome to florence.

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If you’re looking for the quickest way to travel from Rome to Florence, your best bet is by train. Renting a car is the ideal way to enjoy scenic views of the picturesque countryside, but it comes at a cost. If you’re looking to save the most on travel expenditure, the bus is going to be perfect for you.

Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about how to get from Rome to Florence depending on your travel plans and style. All your most pressing questions have been answered below. 

READ: Discover how to pack for Italy when traveling to the historic cities of Rome and Florence.

Article contents

About Traveling From Rome to Florence

Before jumping straight in, here are some key details you need to know.

How Far is Florence From Rome?

Both Rome and Florence are in the central part of Italy, but this doesn’t mean they’re close. There are 162 miles of unforgettable Italian countryside between the two cities, teeming with history and culture.

TOP TIP : Read this Rome travel guide before leaving to get the best out of your time in the Eternal City.

When is the Best Time to Travel From Rome to Florence

As far as months go, the most convenient time to travel between Rome and Florence is either April to May or September to October. Not only will you miss the summer crowds but you’ll also find cheaper accommodation in Italy .

Sunday is the perfect day to go from Rome to Florence. Not only are there fewer crowds as people aren’t traveling for work, but you can also find the best train deals.

TOP TIP : Learn about transportation in Italy to plan an unstoppable vacation.

Catching Trains From Rome to Florence

Italy’s train services are amongst the most reliable in Europe, making it a fantastic option. Here’s everything you need to know, whether you’re in a rush and need high-speed trains or don’t mind slower regional trains.

High-Speed Train between Rome and Florence

Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa trains (Le Frecce) or Italo high-speed trains are the ultimate way to travel from Rome to Florence. Both companies are fantastic and provide a wide variety of seating options, from standard seats to first class.

Not only that, but all seating options have air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and a food carriage where you can purchase snacks and drinks. 

If you want to get an early start to the day, the first train leaves Rome at 05:30, with the last one departing at 21:30. There are plenty of options throughout the day, with 95 trips completed a day.

If you want to find the exact schedule, you can use the Omio App to keep track of all your tickets. 

TOP TIP : Book tickets and check schedules on Omio .

Direct Intercity Trains between Rome and Florence

If you’re not in as much of a rush but still want a direct train ride, consider using Intercity trains. These trains are slightly slower than high-speed trains, so you have more time to admire the beautiful Tuscan landscape.

Intercity trains offer passengers free Wi-Fi and comfortable reclining seats.

Catching a Train From Rome to Florence Costs

Rome to Florence train cost varies depending on the day you travel and the service you choose. As you might expect, high-speed trains are slightly more expensive than slower services.

Cheap train tickets from Rome to Florence vary in price for each day of the week. If you plan on catching a high-speed train or other direct train ticket, you can expect prices to start at €22. The prices change based on how far in advance you are booking. If you leave your booking to the last minute, prices can go up to €60. To check the prices for train tickets and easily manage your bookings, use the Omio App .

TOP TIP : Book your train tickets at least a week in advance to get the best deals possible.

Average Rome to Florence Train Time

If you decide to travel on a high-speed train, the average train from Rome to Florence time is 1 hour and 30-minutes. However, if you choose a slower regional train service, the average travel time is roughly 3 hours and 30 minutes.

LEARN : all about using the trains in Italy in our Train travel guide

About Rome Train Station

Most of the trains you can catch will leave Rome Termini Station , with a few also departing from the Rome Tiburtina Station. On average, 61 trains depart the Rome Termini Station daily between 05:30 and 21:30.

About Florence Train Station

The main station in Florence is the Firenze Santa Maria Novella , where all the direct trains from Rome will travel.

Pros and Cons of Using a Train For Travel

• It’s the quickest way to get from Rome to Florence.
• The earliest train departs before 06:00.
• Night trains are also available until 21:30.
• There are no luggage restrictions or security lines.
• You can receive a hefty fine if your ticket is not checked before boarding.
• It can get busy during weekday travel.
• It can get noisy depending on where you are on the train.

Driving From Rome to Florence

If you want to see the countryside, driving from Rome to Florence is a fantastic option. Although driving is one of the most expensive ways to get between the two cities, the freedom it provides is second to none.

Not only can you choose when you would like to drive, but you also have complete control of the entire process. There are two main ways you can travel by car, either by renting or booking a private transfer.

DISCOVER : Why not stop off for the night in an amazing Tuscan Agroturismo ?

Renting a Car For Rome to Florence Travel

Renting a car in Italy is a great way to get around the country. You can get to places that train and bus routes do not travel to.

There are many places throughout Rome where you can rent a car, with Fiumicino Airport being the most popular. You can schedule your pick-up time and select a different drop-off location, such as Firenze Santa Maria Novella in Florence. Choosing to pick-up and drop-off the vehicle at the airports is the best option, as navigating the cities can often be challenging. 

Renting costs start at €23.08 to €923 per day (as per Car Rental by booking.com ), depending on the car type you choose to hire and when you’re renting. You will also need to factor in toll charges if traveling on the highways known as Autostrade as well as insurance costs

Average Fuel Costs For Rome to Florence Travel

Gas prices fluctuate each month, so it’s tough to pinpoint how much it will cost . However, at the time of writing (November 2022), Italian gas prices are $6.38 per gallon (€1.68 per liter).

The amount of gas you’ll need depends on the car’s fuel consumption. However, on average, between seven and eight gallons is enough for a one-way trip.

TOP TIP : Keep track of current gas prices in Italy on the global petrol prices website .

Traveling From Rome to Florence on a Private Transfer

Another option is to travel via private transfer. These can often be expensive, so people also like ride-sharing , which allows you to split travel costs with another traveler. A private transfer usually starts at €500, but with ride-share it can get as low as €71.23.

TOP TIP : If you want to travel in style, consider this Rome to Florence private transfer .

Driving Travel Time From Rome to Florence

The quickest and most direct route between Rome and Florence is along the A1/E35. The total distance you will travel is 172 miles. The average travel time ranges between 2 hours and 30 minutes and 3 hours and 15 minutes, depending on traffic.

Pros and Cons of Driving From Rome to Florence

• Freedom to drive when you like.
• You have more room for luggage .
• You have private transportation.
• It is expensive.
• Finding parking isn’t easy.
• You are responsible for any damages to the car.
• Road tolls between Rome and Florence are €18.20. These may change, and you can calculate toll costs on autostrade per l’italia

Catching a Bus From Rome to Florence

Although this is the most time-consuming method of travel between the two cities, it is also the cheapest. You will be able to meander through the Tuscan scenery and reach the wonderful city of Florence in comfort.  

Which Bus Service to Use

Italy has several world-class bus companies, but if you’re traveling from Rome to Florence, it’s best to go with either Itabus or Flixbus . Both companies provide free Wi-Fi connection and a seat reservation option.

Buses From Roma Termini Train Station

The earliest coach to depart Roma Termini Station is at 07:30, with the latest departing at 23:45. Roma Termini Station is the main point of departure from Rome when traveling to Florence.

Buses From Fiumicino Airport

Generally, you can also take a bus from Rome Airport to Florence. However, only one bus per day departs the airport at 13:30. If you want more variety, you can catch the Leonardo Express Train to the Roma Termini Train Station and take a direct bus from there.

Average Bus Costs From Rome to Florence

Bus travel is the cheapest way to get between the two cities, with tickets starting at €6.02 and the most expensive tickets reaching €28.09.

You can choose the extendable seat, extra legroom, and free seat selection option for an additional €5.

Travel Time From Rome to Florence by Bus

No matter what company you choose to travel with, you can expect a reasonable travel time of 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Pros and Cons of Using a Bus For Travel

• It’s the cheapest way to travel.
• It’s an environmentally friendly travel method.
• It can get crowded.
• There can be a long waiting time between buses.
• It’s the most time-consuming travel option.

Final Thoughts on How to Get to Florence From Rome

Now you know the ins and outs of all the best travel methods from Rome to Florence. With this newfound knowledge under your belt, the Rome to Florence leg on your Italy itinerary will be smooth sailing.

If you plan on staying in Florence for a while, be sure to put our Florence travel guide and our 3 day Florence itinerary to the test. And before you leave, make sure to head to some of Florence’s hidden gems for an unforgettable experience.

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Rome and Florence are two of the most beautiful and historically important cities in Italy. Traveling by train between them is easy, affordable and fast. Let us tell you what your options are and how you can have a smooth Italian vacation by rail.

Video train route Rome - Florence

Train options for Rome to Florence

Traveling by high-speed train

The fastest way to travel from Rome to Florence is by taking the Le Frecce high-speed train . This modern and luxurious train will get you to your destination in only 1 hour and 30 minutes. For actual travel times, check out our timetable . If you travel with a Eurail Pass, you don't need to buy a ticket and only pay a small reservation fee. We recommend you book your seats as far in advance as possible.

Traveling by regional train

Taking a regional train from Rome to Florence means more travel time than by high-speed train. It also means you don't have to reserve a seat and you can stop along the way in charming Italian cities like Orvieto and Arezzo. If you're looking to get inspired, check out our blog entry on traveling between Rome and Florence. If you have a Eurail Pass, you don't need to buy a ticket. You can travel on this train for free and get on and off whenever you like.

Eurail Passes

The Eurail Pass is a train pass that lets you travel on nearly every train in Europe. It comes in all shapes and sizes, so you can pick the one that best fits your vacation plans. Check out our Eurail Passes. If you're only looking to travel in Italy, the Eurail Italy Pass might be just the thing for you. Otherwise you can choose another pass and make this journey part of a larger, exciting European adventure!

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Best Rome to Florence day trip itinerary: High-speed trains + tours

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One of the best ways to see Italy’s beautiful interior is by embarking on a Rome to Florence day trip via a high-speed train. Why? Not only because you get to see stunning countryside scenery from one major Italian city to another, but you do this in just under two hours!

You may think that you have to choose between Rome or Florence when visiting Italy, but nothing could be further from the truth. Both these cities offer an extraordinary experience. 

Rome is the quintessential capital, brimming with ancient history and dotted with world-class landmarks like the Colosseum. On the other hand, Florence offers a unique Tuscan experience, complete with top-of-the-pile Renaissance art and architecture. So it’s best to see both cities.

Now, without wasting time, let’s dive into this ultimate day trip itinerary from Rome to Florence on board a high-speed train.

Best Rome to Florence Day Trip Itinerary: High-speed trains + tours

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click one of them, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

About our experience + using this guide

We have traveled to Florence on 2 occasions – once on a guided tour, and a high-speed train. High-speed trains in Italy are safe and perfect for a day trip with or without a guide. 

For a day trip from Rome to Florence (without a guide), we recommend getting on an early train and returning on one of the last rides (after sunset). We have listed all the possible ways to get to Florence below, with our suggested tours, as well as sharing our itinerary stops. 

Rome to Florence Day trip stops with Google Map

• Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
• Mercato Centrale
• Palazzo Medici Riccardi 
• Galleria dell’Accademia (30+ minutes, book tickets early)
• Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
• Piazza del Duomo (lunch/snack break)
• Palazzo Vecchio – Piazza del Signoria (quick stop, but guided tours are available)
• Uffizi Gallery (60+ minutes, book tickets early)
• Ponte Vecchio (quick stop)
• Sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo 

For museums, you will have to account for 30 minutes to an hour for exploration (considering you are on a day trip). We have also provided extra options like a cooking class and additional stops which you can swap for. 

Getting to Florence from Rome via a high-speed train

There are several ways you can travel to Florence from Rome. Driving and flying are two common options, but taking a high-speed train is the most popular way to do this day trip.

You’ll find many train stations in Rome. Termini Station is centrally located and by far the largest depot. It offers more routes and plenty of facilities, including a tourist information office. 

High-speed train tours from Rome to Florence typically depart from Termini Station and arrive at Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Station. This train ride covers 260.7 km (162 miles) and takes about 90 minutes. 

If you’re not joining a guided day tour, you can expect to pay around $32 for a ticket. 

Rome to Florence Day Trip Itinerary

After arriving in Florence, you’ll either explore the city with an expert guide or alone, depending on the tour package you booked. These are both great options, but if you’d like to learn about the history and culture of Florence, taking a guided walking tour is probably your best option.

If you’re exploring Florence solo, we’ve created an easy-to-follow itinerary that ensures you get a fully immersive experience of the birthplace of the Renaissance. Have a look below.

1. Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

Conveniently located about a minute away from Florence’s main train station, the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is ideally the first stop you should make after your arrival. 

This 13-14th century church has a stunning marble facade, and inside, you’ll find extraordinary religious artworks like Masaccio’s Trinità (Holy Trinity) and the Crucifix by Giotto. 

Walk across the piazza to the Museo Novecento, where you’ll see interactive exhibits and artworks from the 1900s onwards. Before you head to the next attraction on this itinerary, be sure to check out the Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy, one of the oldest in the city.

There is nothing like it, the pharmacy boasts a frescoed interior featuring ancient books and statues.

2. Mercato Centrale (The Central Market)

If you want to experience the typical day in the life of a local in Florence, there is no better place to do this than at the Central Market. Famous for its inexpensive leather goods, fresh produce, and artisanal inventory, this market is the best spot for eating and souvenir shopping.

On the ground floor, you’ll find a locally-made products and fresh foods market boasting several stalls. This part of the Central Market opens from Monday to Saturday, from 7 am until 2 pm. You’ll have limited time, so we suggest you explore this floor before heading up.

The first floor of the Central Market is where you’ll find a food court. It features several small restaurants, tasting rooms, and wine bars where you can indulge in local specialties like lampredotto, porchetta, and trippa. This part of the market opens daily, from 8 am to midnight.

Of course, you’ll also find typical Italian dishes here, like pizza, roast fish, fried vegetables, and buffalo mozzarella. We recommend you have lunch here to fuel up for the adventure ahead.

3. Palazzo Medici Riccardi

The House of Medici is one of the most influential banking families and political dynasties that existed in Italy. Famous for funding the Renaissance, this art-loving family built and expanded many buildings in Florence, including the Palazzo Medici Riccardi.

So, if you’re a history buff eager to learn more about this mighty family, visiting the Palazzo Medici Riccardi is a must. The palace is famous for its magnificent Magi Chapel, which features frescoed walls painted by Benozzo Gozzoli. Donatello and Michelangelo also worked here.

Other highlights you’ll love to see at Palazzo Medici Riccardi include the arch-filled internal courtyard, the manicured Medici garden, and the Hall of Mirrors, boasting golden walls.

4. Galleria dell’Accademia

You cannot possibly spend a day in Florence without seeing the city’s extensive collections of art, paintings, and sculptures. The Accademia Gallery is one of the best places to admire world-class artworks. 

This art museum is famous for housing Michelangelo’s David statue, and it displays the largest collection of the artist’s works in the world. But there is more to see at Accademia Gallery, including the Coronation of the Virgin by Jacopo di Cione and the Tree of Life by Pacino di Bonaguida are other masterpieces you must see.

Accademia Gallery is one of Florence’s top attractions, so book a skip-the-line guided tour to bypass the long queues. You’ll have a multilingual guide who shares insights on the museum’s outstanding Gothic and Renaissance artworks. 

Pro tip : When booking a ticket, choose a time slot that works for you – keeping in mind the travel time from Rome to Florence, and walk to the museum. 

5. Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence Duomo)

Florence is well-endowed with majestic churches. The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the most beautiful churches in the city and a must-see if you admire Gothic architecture. It is the fourth-largest church in the world, so there’s plenty to see.

A skip-the-line tour of the Florence Duomo takes you through the church’s famous frescoes, private passages, and rooftop terraces, where you’ll get a close-up of Brunelleschi’s dome. The cherry on top will be the sweeping views of the city you’ll get from Cupola del Brunelleschi.  

Tip : Typically the guided tours are for 2.5 to 3 hours, if you are pressed for time, we recommend visiting the Douomo from the outside. Or you can skip one of the museum visits. 

6. Piazza del Duomo + Giotto’s Bell Tower

Just steps away from the cathedral, you’ll find the Piazza del Duomo. This lively square is arguably the most famous in Florence, being surrounded by many top attractions. 

Sitting in the heart of Florence, this piazza boasts must-see architecture like the Giotto Bell Tower.

Around the square, you’ll find plenty of things to enjoy. From vibrant street artists to cafes, cocktails, bars, and pizzeria where you can indulge in tasty treats. You’ll want to take your time here so you don’t miss out on seeing some of Florence’s top attractions. 

This is also the perfect place to catch a breather and grab a drink and pizza before continuing. 

7. Palazzo Vecchio

Boasting a brick-faced facade and a gigantic clock tower overlooking Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio serves as Florence’s town hall. Its interesting history and great architecture are some reasons why people visit this place, but its art collection is also something to look out for.

A skip-the-line entry ticket to Palazzo Vecchio offers you a secret passage tour through the palace. You’ll see many Renaissance artworks, marvel at secret Medici rooms, and find off-the-beaten-path locations in the Palazzo Vecchio Museum, like a mysterious stairway. 

Pro tip: We recommend just going on a stroll at the piazza in the interest of time. 

8. Uffizi Gallery

One of the most prominent art museums in Florence (and arguably in Italy) is none other than the Uffizi Gallery. Located minutes away from the Piazza della Signoria, this gallery is famous for its great collection of paintings and sculptures dating back to the Middle Ages.

Get yourself a skip-the-line entrance ticket and admire masterpieces from the likes of Giotto, Michelangelo, and Da Vinci. Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” is also among the relics you’ll see here. Uffizi Gallery is unique compared to other art museums in Florence. 

Walking through the gallery is like going back in time. As you stroll through artworks chronologically arranged from the 13th to the 18th century. There are also archaeological collections in the Uffizi Gallery, such as Roman and Greek sculptures.

Pro tip : Just like the Accademia Gallery, you will have to book tickets ahead of time and have to choose a slot. Based on the ticket availability you will have to adjust this itinerary. 

9. Ponte Vecchio

Walk over to the Ponte Vecchio, and enjoy the view of the River Arno. The Old Bridge is known for the shops that are built along it, but we loved it more for the uninterrupted views of the river and its surroundings. 

(Located near the Ponte Vecchio is the Pitti Palace and can spend some time at the Boboli Gardens here – we have included that as an option below). 

10. Sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo

Finally, your day trip from Rome to Florence ends with one of the most magical sunsets in Italy. This square is an excellent spot for panoramic views of Florence and beyond. The 360-degree views and skyline scenery are even more stunning at sunset time .

This could be the highlight of your trip, so be sure to arrive early (at least an hour before sunset) so that you can get the best spot. The square boasts a huge replica of the David statue at the center, as well as stalls selling football shirts, crafts, and many other Italian souvenirs .

More Things to Do in Florence Italy

We have included additional activities that you can swap for any of the itinerary stops above. 

Museo Leonardo Da Vinci + Interactive Museum

As the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence has provided the world with many artists, sculptors, scientists, and engineers, and Da Vinci is one of the most famous among them. 

The intellectual is credited with conducting many experiments and creating futuristic inventions that were groundbreaking during the Renaissance. And you can see and marvel at most of these extraordinary items at the Leonardo Da Vinci Interactive Museum.

Book a guided tour of the museum and get a sneak peek into the genius mind of Leonardo Da Vinci as you roam through his artworks.

Tuscan cooking or pasta-making class

For a classic Florentine experience, take a cooking or pasta-making class and learn how to make delicious homemade Italian dishes. There are several tour providers around Florence, and they range from three-hour classes to full-day tours. 

If you’re spending two days in Florence (or more), we suggest you take the full-day cooking class at a Tuscan farmhouse led by an expert chef. You’ll learn how to make meals like bruschetta and roast pork and desserts like tiramisù from scratch. 

This cooking experience is perfectly paired with a visit to a local market and a scrumptious 4-course lunch. If you don’t have a lot of time, then join this pasta-making class so you have enough time to complete this itinerary. 

Palazzo Pitti + Boboli Gardens

Cross over the Arno River at Ponte Vecchio and head over to Pitti Palace. This exceptional palace boasts remarkable Renaissance architecture, splendid frescoes, gilded ceilings, and elegant furniture that makes even billionaires jealous.

A guided tour of Palazzo Pitti takes you through the residence’s expansive courtyards and the immaculate Boboli Gardens. You’ll also get to marvel at the Medici Family’s extensive artwork collection at the Palatine Gallery and learn about their grand-dual residency at the palace.

Rome to Florence day tours via high-speed train

If you are unsure of doing this yourself, we highly suggest that you join a guided tour when taking a day trip from Rome to Florence. These tours offer roundtrip tickets, a local guide, and skip-the-line tickets to main attractions. 

You’ll also get some free time to wander around the picturesque medieval streets of Florence. If you prefer to have more time to yourself, then a private tour will be useful such as this one

Here are a few of the best options for a scenic high-speed train day trip from Rome to Florence.

From Rome: Day trip to Florence by high-speed train (3.5/5 – 191 reviews)

Boarding from Termini Station at 7:30 am, this high-speed train day tour sees you traversing through Italy’s gorgeous countryside. You’ll catch glimpses of charming villages and towns from the window of your standard-class carriage along the way.

Upon arrival, you’ll meet your tour guide and begin exploring the Renaissance city. At the Piazza del Duomo, you’ll spot classic Florence attractions like the Gothic-style Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the towering Campanile di Giotto, and the octagonal Baptistery of St. John.

From there, you’ll explore the city’s bustling squares, such as the Piazza della Repubblica. This circular piazza boasts an enormous fountain at its heart, encircled by historic cafes and quaint boutiques. Continue to the eclectic Ponte Vecchio before heading to the artistic Uffizi Gallery.

At around mid-afternoon, your tour guide will indicate that it’s time to return. You’ll head back to the Santa Maria Novella Station to board the departing train to Rome. 

✅ Book Tour

Rome to Florence: High-speed train day trip (4.7/5 – 26 reviews)

On this tour, you’ll depart from Termini Station in Rome at 7:50 am. We suggest you reserve a window seat for optimal views of the scenic Italian countryside. When you arrive at the Santa Maria Novella Station, you’ll be met and welcomed by an English and Spanish-speaking greeter.

This high-speed train tour is a bit different than the previous one, though, as you’ll get to explore Florence at your own pace. There is no set itinerary, so you can simply wander through the medieval streets, spotting Gothic and Renaissance architecture and indulging in local cuisine.

The Historic Centre of Florence is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site , packed with hundreds of years of cultural and artistic prowess. You’ll find many churches, museums, piazzas, and galleries housing artworks from the likes of Michelangelo and Sandro Botticelli.

You’ll have the entire day to experience the city’s best attractions, so make sure you catch the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo, which is one of the best things to do in Florence at night . Your train departs from Santa Maria Novella Station at 6:38 pm, but this is subject to change.

Note: From April, trains depart from Rome at 7:30 am on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Rome to Florence day tour (4.5/5 – 28 reviews)

Our third suggestion for a Rome to Florence high-speed train day tour also departs from Termini Station at 7:30 am and arrives at the Santa Maria Novella Station. You’ll have the option to pick between a self-guided tour and a guided walking tour with a professional multilingual guide.

The guided tour includes skip-the-line access to the renowned Uffizi Gallery. You’ll spend time admiring magnificent art collections with masterpieces from artists like Giotto, Botticelli, and Cimabue. Afterward, you’ll have plenty of time to explore the city’s rich tapestry of historical treasures from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Wander around the enchanting piazza, delight in mouthwatering Tuscan cuisine at local cafes, and marvel at the city’s breathtaking architecture. End your day with a stroll back to the Santa Maria Novella Station. Your train will arrive back in Rome at around 7:30 pm. 

Note: This tour requires you to arrive at the meet-up spot in Rome, in front of Caffè Trombetta, at least 30 minutes before the train’s scheduled departure time.

Staying longer? Consider taking these day trips from Florence

Florence can be considered a gateway to charming towns and other major cities in Northern Italy. If you’ll be in Florence for a few days, we suggest you take some of these day trips.

Florence to San Marino day trip

Surrounded by Italy, San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world. But don’t let that fool you. This microstate boasts a lot of history and culture comparable with any other nation. Take a day trip from Florence to San Marino and discover its hilltop, medieval old town.

Day trip from Florence: Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, and lunch at a winery

If you love history, art, and decadent Tuscan food and wines, this day trip is perfect for you. On this Tuscany day tour, you’ll enjoy wandering around the medieval city of Siena , marveling at the towers of San Gimignano and admiring the dramatic architecture of Pisa .

Cinque Terre day trip from Florence with optional hiking

The seaside paradise of Cinque Terre is about two to three hours away from Florence. This string of UNESCO-listed hillside towns boasts colorful houses, pristine white-sand beaches, and a rugged coastline perfect for hiking.

On this day trip , you’ll spend most of your time walking the narrow street, sunbathing, and soaking up the unspoiled views of the Italian Riviera .

Chianti wine tour from Florence

Wine lovers will love exploring Tuscany’s lush vineyards and tasting exceptional wine. This amazing wine-tasting day trip takes you to the Chianti Wine Regions, where you’ll indulge in award-winning wines and traditional food while overlooking rolling hills of grape-filled vineyards and villas.

Rome to Florence high-speed train day trip: FAQs

Day trips often require a lot of planning. From arranging transportation to creating a well-thought-out itinerary, it can all be quite overwhelming. But don’t stress, we’ve put together a few frequently asked questions about day trips from Rome to Florence to help you out.

Is it worth it to do a day trip from Rome to Florence?

Absolutely! As we mentioned before, Rome and Florence offer different experiences in Italy. Although you’ll find that both cities have ancient landmarks, museums, and galleries, each of these highlights displays the city’s unique culture, history, and heritage.

What is the best route from Rome to Florence?

The best way to travel from Rome to Florence is via a high-speed train from Termini Station to Santa Maria Novella Station. This takes about 90 minutes, one-way.

How many trains a day from Rome to Florence?

This is a very popular day trip from Rome, so you can expect more than 60 trains per day traveling between the Italian capital and Florence. More than one train leaves Rome each hour, but this is less frequent on weekends and during the holiday season. 

Do I need to book a train from Rome to Florence in advance?

Yes. Booking your train ticket beforehand will save you lots of time at the station. During the peak season in Italy, these train tickets are very sought-after, and that can cause some delays.

Wrapping up the best high speed train day trip from Rome to Florence

Taking a day trip from Rome to Florence is one of the best ways to see the nation’s lush countryside and spend time in one of the most beautiful cities in Italy . And there is no better way of doing this than by taking a high-speed train from the capital.

Florence is the undisputed cradle of the Italian Renaissance. It’s known for being home to world-class art, historical landmarks, and medieval architecture that will blow you away. And if you’ll be spending two or three days in Florence , there are more epic day trips awaiting you.

Whether you want to take a leisurely stroll around Florence while admiring its Renaissance architecture or you’d like to indulge in Tuscan cuisine, nothing beats a day trip from Rome.

More Italy Travel Guides

• Italy travel guide
• Italy itinerary 7 days
• Italy itinerary 2 weeks
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Pin: Day trip from Rome to Florence 

Mayuri is the founder & editor of ToSomePlaceNew. An Indian-Canadian globetrotter, she has traveled to over 100 cities and 40+ countries.

Mayuri has a graduate degree in History and is an MBA. She loves traveling the world particularly Europe, capturing historical nuances, and discussing that over a cup of coffee with her husband, Salil. 

She has lived in Portugal, Canada and India.

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$54 Find cheap flights from Rome to Florence

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In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Rome Fiumicino Airport to Florence was $54 for a one-way ticket and $129 for a round-trip.

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The Airbus A319 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Rome to Florence flight route.

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SkyTeam, oneworld, and Star Alliance are the airline alliances operating flights between Rome and Florence, with SkyTeam being the most commonly used for this route.

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There are nonstop flights from Rome to Florence on a daily basis.

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Find which airlines fly direct from Fiumicino to Peretola, which days they fly and book direct flights.

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Rome Fiumicino to Florence Peretola

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It was a short haul trip, so food and entertainment weren’t a big issue

The plane seemed very dated. The entertainment was very limited. There was a school group on our flight and the crew seemed bothered by them. They were not overly friendly or welcoming.

Ok, but no entertainment. Left late, but made up most of the time.

May be it is not an ITA issue, but the bags took long time to go out.

Good. But there food was poor quality and 95% of movies didn't have English subtitles

I thought they had rebranded themselves in every aspect but it was quite the opposite. The food was terrible the service was sub-par. Overall it was not a good experience.

Service from staff was poor, food choices were limited. Air plane was not clean or hygienic and seemed like not cleaned for days. Seats were uncomfortable.

service from stAff was barely there , food choices were limited. AirPlane was not clean and seemed like it was not cleaned for days.. Seats were very uncomfortable.

I paid for premium seats and the last minute they changed the aircraft for a bigger one, they bumped me to another seat which was NOT at all comfortable for an 11 hour flight, will fight for a refund!!

The landing was catastrophic. I was very scared. I thought it were my last lminues. Pilotes should be more experienced

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Train information from Rome to Florence

Want to know more about your journey? Following you'll find the frequently asked questions by our customers and some tips for your journey.

How to get from Rome to Florence?

Getting from Rome to Florence is best accomplished by utilizing the train network, which provides both efficiency and comfort. Italy's high-speed trains, including options like Italo, offer a rapid and pleasant travel experience, making them the preferred mode of transportation for this route.

Is there a high-speed train from Rome to Florence?

Yes, sure. Italo Train is a high-speed trains can make the journey in about 1.5 hours, while slower regional trains might take up to 3 hours. Other types of trains in Italy, such as the regional train, take nearly 3 hours to travel between these two cities.

How long is the train from Rome to Florence?

Distance Between Rome and Florence: The distance between Rome and Florence is approximately 144 miles. This relatively short distance makes train travel particularly appealing.

How much does the train cost from Rome to Florence?

The price of train tickets can range significantly based on the type of train, class of service and how far in advance you book. High-speed train tickets typically range from 9,9€ to 50€ , but early bookings and discounts can reduce this cost.

How many trains a day between Rome and Florence?

Italo has over 62 trains a day on this route starting at 5 a.m. until almost midnight. More than one train per hour!

When to book train tickets from Rome to Florence?

When traveling between Rome and Florence, consider booking tickets in advance to secure the best fares. The  sooner you buy  the ticket the  less you will spend. 

When are Rome-Florence train tickets available?

Italo trains are bookable about 6 months in advance.

Italo Travel Pack: flexibility and and savings up to -80%

Choose between Travel Pack 10 valid for 180 days or Travel Pack Special 10 and 20, valid for 30 days!

Italo Family, children travel free of charge.

Children under 14 years of age travel free of charge with their family.

Italo Friends

Travelling together is more convenient!

Let yourself be inspired, travel with Italo Mini guide

Rome is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, full of history, art, culture and tradition. The Italian capital is the perfect place for a romantic getaway or a weekend with friends. Rome is a city that never ceases to surprise, and traveling to it on Italo is a comfortable and fast way to get to your destination. Once you arrive, you’ll have plenty of options. To start, add some of the must-see sights to your agenda such as the Colosseum, one of the most recognizable symbols in the world, the Imperial Fora, a symbol of the glorious Roman era, and the Pantheon, which you can visit for free. Don’t forget to take a trip to the Vatican to admire the Vatican Museums and Saint Peter’s, and don’t miss the opportunity to visit the recently restored Trevi Fountain. Rome is also art: don’t miss out on Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, The Last Supper, or the exhibitions at the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Triennale, and the Fondazione Prada. To discover the trendiest area of the city, head to Darsena and explore the famous Navigli (Naviglio Pavese and Naviglio Grande). Furthermore, you can admire the skyscrapers in the Porta Nuova area, such as the Unicredit Tower and the award-winning Bosco Verticale. Rome is also great for shopping: around Piazza di Spagna you’ll find some of the most beautiful streets in the world such as Via Condotti and Via del Babuino, where you can buy luxury Italian brands such as Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada, while Via del Corso is like an open-air shopping mall. To explore the most authentic parts of the city, go to Testaccio, Coppedè or the Giardino degli Aranci; while at night get lost in the alleys of Monti and the osterie of Trastevere. Finally, in Rome you can also find an infinite selection of restaurants, from the most authentic Lazio cuisine to the Jewish cuisine of the Ghetto, and Japanese cuisine. And don’t forget to visit Rome during Christmas or New Year's Eve, when the city is lit up with installations and lights. What are you waiting for? Buy your Italo ticket to Rome now!

Are you looking for an unforgettable experience of art, history and culture? Your destination is Florence , the cradle of the Renaissance. The city offers an infinite number of attractions to visit that will not disappoint even the most demanding travellers. Start your tour with a visit to Piazza del Duomo, the heart of Florence , where you will find the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, with its wonderful campanile of Giotto and the famous dome of Brunelleschi; then the Basilica of Santa Croce and the Baptistery of San Giovanni. Not to be missed is the Tower of Arnolfo, the Loggia of Bigallo and the imposing Palazzo Vecchio, seat of the city government. Continuing the visit, do not forget to take a look at the Uffizi Gallery, which houses the largest collection of ancient art in the world, with masterpieces by Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Caravaggio and Botticelli. Arriving in Piazza della Signoria, let the magnitude of the Palazzo Vecchio and the statues of the Loggiato dei Lanzi, including Michelangelo's David, make you admire the grandeur of the Florentine Renaissance. To complete the tour, a visit to the Academy Gallery cannot be missed, where the largest work of Michelangelo, the David statue, is kept. After a day full of visits, take a break to taste the specialties of Tuscan cuisine, such as the famous Panino with Lampredotto, the ribollite and the Florentine steaks. Reaching Florence by train with Italo will be a winning choice! It is a unique opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the Tuscan landscape and the comfort of the on-board services, which will make your trip even more pleasant. What are you waiting for? Buy your Italo ticket to Florence now!

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A child is between the ages of 4 and 11 years.

Many trains in Italy and beyond offer a discounted fare between 30% & 50% off the Adult fare for Children.

The child offer is now extended to children ages 4 to 14 years when traveling on high-speed Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca, Frecciargento, InterCity, InterCityNotte, EuroCity, and Thello trains. Your child will be assigned his/her own seat and children must be accompanied by an Adult when traveling on this offer.

Regional trains will still offer discounted fares for children ages 4 to 11 years.

Infants & Children 3 & under travel for free and will share a seat with the adult companion.

This option is for customers that have already purchased a Eurail Pass or InterRail Pass and wish to reserve seats or sleeping berths. Learn more about rail passes.

Most high-speed and long-distance trains require seat reservations. The fare rules for each train indicate whether seat reservations are necessary.

Note: An ItaliaPass does not entitle customers to use of passholder fares.  Roundtrip tickets are not available using a Eurail Pass or InterRail Pass.

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Traveling by train from Florence to Rome is an easy and comfortable journey. The distance between the two cities is 162 miles and many high-speed trains make the trip in just 1 hour and 29 minutes. 

The Rome to Florence train takes you south through Italy’s scenic Lazio and Tuscany regions. Many trains travel directly from Florence to Rome; you won’t be required to change trains. However, if you’re traveling on a slower and less expensive regional train , you may be required to transfer from one train to another.

Florence to Rome train times

Many trains leave Florence Santa Maria Novella station several times per hour for Rome Termini station — averaging 49 trains per day. The earliest train leaves Santa Maria Novella station for Rome at 5:45 a.m. The last train to Rome leaves Florence at 11:13 p.m. 

Note that weekends and holidays typically mean less frequent service and sometimes longer travel times.

Amenities on the train between Florence and Rome

Italy’s high-speed trains are equipped with air conditioning and electrical outlets at your seat to charge devices. There is wi-fi on trains , but the signal will drop in tunnels and at stations. Expect a cafe car on every train , as well as food cart that brings snacks, sandwiches and beverages to your seat. At the end of each car you’ll find a restroom and plenty of racks to store large luggage .  

Firenze S.M. Novella train station is a hub for Italian and international high-speed and regional trains. Located in Florence’s central Piazza della Stazione, SMN station puts you conveniently close to Florence’s big attractions. Outside the station you’ll find taxis, a tourist information office, and stops for most of the city’s main bus routes.

Termini is Rome’s large, international train station and the main transportation hub for public transportation in Rome. Located in the center of the city, Roma Termini provides daily service to all major Italian cities as well as many major European cities. From Termini you can also catch the Leonardo Express train to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino airport.

Travel Home > Italy > Rome Tours > Day Trips > Florence

Day Trip From Rome To Florence With High-Speed Train: Accademia & Uffizi

Officially licensed guides, private tours of italy, flexible rescheduling, rome to florence day tour.

Explore the city  where the Renaissance began  on our day trip tour from Rome to Florence with your private guide. 

Your return tickets from Rome to Florence on the  high-speed train are included  and your private guide will meet you as soon as you arrive at the station in Florence in just 1.5 hours. Together you will  embark on a journey through the Renaissance as you see the masterpieces  on display in the Accademia & Uffizi galleries and enjoy a guided walking tour of the city.

What Is Included In The Day Trip From Rome To Florence?

• High-speed train tickets from Rome-Florence and back 
• Skip the line entrance tickets into the  Accademia Gallery  and the  Uffizi Gallery 
• A  private guided tour exploring the historical center of Florence  (including an outside view of the Duomo and a stroll across the Ponte Vecchio)
• A visit to the famous statue of  David by Michelangelo , and breathtaking paintings like the  Birth of Venus & La Primavera by Botticelli , the  Annunciation of da Vinci , and  Caravaggio’s Medusa . 
• A visit to the  Porcellino , don’t forget to rub its nose!  

Optional: We can arrange return transfers to/from your Rome accommodation to the central train station Termini in Rome

Day Trip From Rome To Florence Tour Description

No vacation to Italy would really be complete without visiting Florence at least once, and given that it is only 1.5 hours away by fast train,  our day trip tour is the perfect way to see the best of the city  even if your accommodation is in Rome. 

Florence has so much to offer: Art, history, architecture, and culture.  We will take care of everything , train tickets, entrance tickets into the museums, and a local licensed guide –  all you need to do is enjoy the day!

During this day you will explore the following sites:

The Historical Center of Florence:

Arriving at the  Piazza del Duomo  and laying eyes on the spectacular architecture of the Duomo, the bell tower, and the Baptistery will be a memory you cherish for a lifetime. After that, we will take you on a stroll over the Arno river, via the  Ponte Vecchio bridge  which used to be more like a market for fresh food and especially meat but is now transferred into a jewelry hotspot.

Orsanmichele Church & Porcellino Pig:

Take a tour of the stunningly beautiful, yet lesser-known  Orsanmichele Church  with your private guide before visiting the famous  Porcellino Pig , a bronze statue of a boar with origins dating back to the 1600s. Your guide will make sure that you don’t forgo the opportunity to  take part in the local ritual involving touching the hog’s snout to bring some good luck!

Accademia Gallery:

The highlight of the Accademia is without a doubt  THE  masterpiece of Michelangelo;  the statue of David . First, however, your private guide will explain to you and more importantly be able to  show you how Michelangelo prepared for this amazing project , by showing you his unfinished marble statues.

Uffizi Gallery:

The Uffizi Gallery is located next to the Arno river and while you are browsing through it don’t forget to look outside the windows from time to time for some amazing views! Inside the Gallery, you will be able to admire many artworks, most of them gifted to the city by the famous Medici family.  Your guide will point out the sometimes very well-hidden treasures  inside the paintings done by Botticelli, Giotto, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Caravaggio, and many more. 

Day Trip From Rome To Florence Itinerary Details:

This tour will last the entire day, but the time spent with your private guide is about 7 hours. The guide will welcome you at the Santa Maria Novella station in Florence. All sites that require entrance tickets will be pre-purchased for you and our role as licensed guides mean that  you will enjoy skip-the-line access so there will be no waiting in long queues of tourists .

Do I need to pay extra for skip the queue tickets?

No, Luxe’s pricing includes all of the entrance tickets to the sites that we have mentioned before. If you prefer to visit another site in Florence, please let us know, so we can quote you accordingly. Also, please note that our skip-the-line tickets do require you to go through basic security lines at the sites.

Why Book The Day Trip To Florence From Rome With Luxe?

• You will have a  local, private, licensed guide  who can show you the secrets of the city and its museums. 
• This is a  completely private tour for you and your party/family ! We prefer this because it allows us to customize each tour to your own tastes and desires. 
• No rush during the day, which gives you the opportunity to learn in as much detail as you like.  Your guide will have all the time to explain and answer any questions you have . 
• We don’t just want to show you Florence, we want to create an experience together with you for a lifetime of memories. 

This tour doesn’t run on Mondays, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

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Contact Our Experts About Your Day Trip From Rome To Florence

Our tours are kept to small private groups to provide the best possible experience for our clients. As such we are able to customize our itineraries to suit your interests, needs and requirements.

To discuss this tour or any changes you would like to make simply complete the form below.

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At Italy by Luxe, our team of specialist tour planners use their intimate knowledge of local specialties, festivals, and hidden gems to customize your itinerary with exclusive events or off-the-beaten-track experiences that other providers just cannot match, alongside ensuring you enjoy Italy’s most famous and iconic monuments and attractions of course!

We love sharing our passion for Italy with our guests and can’t wait to customize any of our Italian day tours for you to ensure you enjoy an absolutely perfect vacation in Italy. Contact us using the form below and we can get started designing your complimentary itinerary today.

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Driving from Rome to Florence: Where to Stop + Travel Tips!

Driving from Rome to Florence is one of the most popular mini-road trips in Italy–and one of the most frequent questions we get from readers is where to visit along the way!

We’ve traveled between Florence and Rome many times at this point, hitting up plenty of fun destinations along the way.

T his guide is designed to help you make the most of your drive from Rome to Florence (or vice versa–these suggestions work in either direction).

Table of Contents

What’s it like to drive from Rome to Florence?

How long does it take to drive from rome to florence, where to stop when driving from rome to florence, other stops to consider on your rome to florence road trip, tips for driving from rome to florence.

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That’s honestly our biggest takeaway: it’s a beautiful drive, and quite relaxed as compared to driving in some other places in Italy.

With the exception of any stops that you might make (small towns, country wineries, etc.), the bulk of the drive from Rome to Florence takes place on well-maintained A1.

The A roads in Italy feel more or less like driving on any highway anywhere in the world, except you get the joy of watching the Italian countryside pass by through the window.

When we drove this route with my dad and stepmom, they remarked that the drive was much hillier and more beautiful than they imagined.

It’s definitely not a boring drive !

Without stopping or considering the traffic to exit Rome and enter Florence (or vice versa), the drive time from Florence to Rome is about 3.5 hours via the most direct route.

The fairly short timeline means that even if you’re driving from Rome to Florence in a single day, you still have the opportunity to make a day of it and stop somewhere fun along the way!

(And after all, if you’re not stopping to sightsee, taking the high-speed train is a much faster and more efficient way to travel between Rome and Florence!)

Here are our absolute top picks for where to stop on a drive from Rome to Florence.

A ny one of these is doable even when completing the Rome to Florence drive in a single day!

The beautiful hilltop town of Orvieto makes a fabulous day trip from either Florence or Rome –but if you can squeeze it in between the two destinations to avoid doubling back, that’s even better!

We adore this small town and highly recommend a visit.

Be sure to admire the fabulous Duomo, climb the Torre del Moro for amazing views, explore some of Orvieto’s Etruscan and papal history, visit Orvieto’s underground, and sip some Orvieto Classico wine.

If you have time, consider adding a museum or two to your list!

We also loved descending into St. Patrick’s Well on the edge of town.

Montepulciano

In our opinion, Montepulciano boasts some of the absolute best views of the Tuscan countryside from any hilltop town, and some of the best wine, too.

Montepulciano is small and doesn’t take too long to see, making it the perfect stop when driving from Rome to Florence. 

Even with its small size, though, we count it among our favorite villages in Tuscany and highly recommend a visit.

While you’re there, be sure to check out some of the best things to do in Montepulciano !

S top by the beautiful Piazza Grande, admire views of the nearby Church of San Biagio which is located just outside of town, and taste the local wine, vino nobile di Montepulciano .

Civita di Bagnoregio

Easily one of the most unique and picturesque small towns in Italy , Civita di Bagnoregio is a bit of a headache to access without a car or tour, making it the ideal road trip stop.

Stunning and somewhat isolated, Civita di Bagnoregio (or simply “Civita”) is perched on a cliff of tufa rock, and has been populated since the Etruscan era.

With beautiful views, pretty churches, and winding alleys to explore, Civita di Bagnoregio is an idyllic stop on a drive between Florence and Rome.

There are a few quirks to visiting Civita di Bagnoregio: the town charges an entry fee (5 Euro as of the time of writing), and you can only access it via a long pedestrian bridge.

Don’t miss the views from the Belvedere before you head down and cross the bridge, either: this is where you’ll find the postcard shot of Civita di Bagnoregio!

As the Tuscan village that is featured in the famous Under the Tuscan Sun book and movie, there’s no doubt that Cortona is a charming place.

Idyllic, beautiful, and quite small, Cortona is a fabulous stop during a Rome to Florence road trip.

It’s also a bit of a hassle to reach by train, as you have to take the train to the nearby area of Camucia and then grab a bus to the charming center of Cortona.

In other words, if you’re hoping to visit Cortona and want to simplify your transportation, it’s a great place to visit by car.

Once you finish exploring Cortona itself, consider using the freedom a road trip gives you to visit the beautiful nearby Monastery of Celle.

Beautiful, quiet, and often overlooked on trips to Tuscany, the city of Arezzo is a bit bigger than the other options outlined above but also makes an excellent stop when driving from Rome to Florence.

Home to Roman ruins (including the remains of Arezzo’s very own Colosseum), sweeping views from the Medici fortress, some impressively well-preserved fifteenth-century frescoes, and a large number of antique shops just waiting to be perused.

If you’re looking for a somewhat off-the-beaten-path Tuscan city, Arezzo is a fabulous option for your Rome to Florence road trip.

Be sure not to miss a chance to climb the clock tower at Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici right off the main square (Piazza Grande)!

T he views from the top are absolutely sublime, and it is our personal favorite spot in Arezzo.

Planning a Rome to Florence road trip that will last longer than a day?

If you’re hoping to stop for a night or two between the two cities, you can expand your reach, opening up several more interesting places to visit in central Italy.

The destinations outlined here are a bit more out of the way and/or take a bit more time to visit, but make excellent side trips between Florence and Rome if you have time to spare!

Gorgeous Siena, Florence’s ancient military rival, isn’t exactly on the way to Florence from Rome (via the fastest route, anyway), but it’s still worth a visit.

With an impressive history, a fascinating culture (the Palio di Siena biannual horse race has been running since 1719!), and plenty of fun things to do, Siena ranks among many visitors’ favorite cities in Tuscany.

Siena is home to arguably the most beautiful Duomo in Tuscany (don’t forget to check out the Piccolomini Library while you’re in there!).

W e absolutely recommend taking the Porta di Cielo, or Gate to Heaven, tour of the cathedral’s roof if you can–it’s magnificent.

Visiting Perugia on the drive from Rome to Florence requires you to go around your nose to get to your face, so to speak, but Perugia can be worth the detour!

This walled city boasts beautiful views, lots of Etruscan history, and delicious food .

As the capital of Umbria, you’ll find plenty of stunning architecture in Perugia too, including the Palazzo dei Priori and the Cathedral of San Lorenzo.

Don’t miss the chance to sample the local chocolate, either!

As the location of the birth, work, and death of St. Francis, Assisi is one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in Europe among Catholic travelers.

E ven if you’re not Catholic, though, this small Umbrian town has plenty of history and beauty to offer.

St. Francis was the founder of the Franciscan Order–a name you’ll see pop up a lot in Italy–and is also one of the patron saints of the country.

In Assisi, you can tour the impressive Basilica of St. Francis while learning about the life and history of the saint.

As the most popular day trip from Florence and one of the most famous sights in all of Tuscany, Pisa makes a great stop if you have a few extra hours to use up with your rental car during your Rome to Florence road trip.

Quite frankly, Pisa does not take long to see–a half-day is generally plenty for the major highlights–and having the flexibility to move on when you’re ready is a benefit given the large numbers of crowds you can generally find there.

The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa is even more beautiful in person than we ever imagined from pictures!

While Pisa itself is far from the loveliest town in Tuscany, if you’ve always wanted to climb the tower, it’s definitely worth a quick stop–be sure to book your tickets before you arrive , though!

Book your  skip-the-line tickets to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa today!

Terme di Saturnia

The most famous of all of Tuscany’s hot springs have emerged from comparative obscurity into a full-blown famous photography location in recent years.

That’s for a good reason, though: t here’s no doubt that it’s still a dream to visit!

If you’re a fan of hot springs and want to make a detour for a soak during your drive from Rome to Florence, consider adding Terme di Saturnia to your itinerary.

Driving from Rome to Florence along the major highways is among the simplest driving we’ve encountered in Italy.

If you’re a confident driver, I would say there’s no reason to hesitate over renting a car for this route.

There are, however, a couple of complications that pop up once you leave the main highways and head to, say, Orvieto or Cortona.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind for the drive from Rome to Florence, and if you’re planning a longer trip, you may want to also check out the additional advice we have in our Tuscany road trip guide .

Don’t plan too many stops between Rome and Florence.

Looking at all the tantalizingly accessible destinations on a map of the drive from Rome to Florence can make it incredibly tempting to try to squeeze in as many stops as possible, but try very hard to resist that idea!

While the distances are fairly short, finding parking, walking to the center of town, exploring the town, and then reaching your car again takes quite a bit of time for each place.

If you’re completing your Rome to Florence road trip in a single day, we recommend choosing just one extra stop between the two.

Shop around for your rental car.

I’m almost 100% certain that we’ve used a different rental car company every time we’ve rented a car in Italy.

T hat’s how much the prices can vary depending on your time of travel, pickup and dropoff locations, size of the vehicle, and more !

We recommend searching for your car via Discover Cars , which will allow you to check out the rates of several different rental car agencies at once and compare prices and inclusions side-by-side.

Price rental car options for the drive from Rome to Florence today!

Be careful to avoid ZTL zones.

ZTL zones are restricted access areas that dot most of Italy’s historic city centers, including both Rome and Florence.

If you drive into one, even accidentally, you’re risking a big ticket (and we’ve definitely had to call tiny Tuscan police stations to help some of our family members pay them off months after the fact).

Avoid them by parking on the outskirts of historical centers and by doing your research ahead of time, including where to park in each city you hope to stop in when driving from Rome to Florence.

Autogrills make great quick stops when driving from Rome to Florence.

Need to fill up the gas tank, down a shot of espresso, go to the restroom, eat a reasonably tasty and affordable cooked lunch, or grab some snacks?

Keep an eye out for an Autogrill when driving along the highway–they can help you out with that.

Autogrills are essentially very nice gas-stations-slash-coffee-bars-slash-cafeterias, and you can find them right off the highway all over Italy .

You need an international driving permit to rent a car in Italy.

You can pick this up before you leave home from AAA, and it’s very easy and cheap to do–just a bit annoying, as it’s one more thing to add to your to-do list before leaving for your trip to Italy.

Now, that being said–will your rental agency always ask for it? No.

Will the police always ask for it? No.

Is it worth the risk of being refused a rental car or getting a ticket over $25 USD and a bit of hassle?

We don’t think so.

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About Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

39 thoughts on “Driving from Rome to Florence: Where to Stop + Travel Tips!”

Hmm.. did I give you the idea for this article? 🙂 We emailed about this topic last month. Love the article and your advice – we decided to hire a driver and stop in Montepulciano and Orvieto! Thanks again!

You sure did, Karri! Hope my email back went through and that you have a blast! Montepulciano & Orvieto are both so beautiful.

Where/who did you hire the driver from? We would like to Do That Thx

I realize this post is 3 years old , on the chance you see this can you advise where you found your driver, we are interesting in doing the exact same trip

We are driving for the first time in Italy, and probably our last time to visit Ital. From checking out of a hotel in Rome to checking into a hotel in Florence. Where would be the one stop you would take? Assisi is my thought. Alanna

Assisi is a bit out of the way as compared to some of the other stops–I’d pick Orvieto or Montepulciano personally if efficiency is part of the goal–but if you want to see Assisi instead, there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t! Just plan for a bit longer of a drive, as it adds roughly 1.5 hours to the route.

This was very helpful….First timers to Italy…am renting a car in Rome and dropping off in Florence …the biggest reason is to go to the Hot Springs…what other stop would you recommend if going to Springs? Maybe for lunch?

Thanks so much!

Hi Alicia! I’m assuming you mean the hot springs in Saturnia? If so, Siena or San Gimignano would be easy additional stops near Florence for you. 🙂

Hi Alicia & Kate,

My husband and I are planning to do that very trip you described above. Drive from Rome to Florence with stops at the hot springs in Saturnia and a stop in San Gimignano. I was wondering if Alicia did the trip and how’d it go!

We’re going in September 🙂

Hi! I was researching about Florence itinerary and checking out your blog post with the title “How to Take a Fun Florence to Venice Day Trip (No Tour Necessary!)” but the link doesn’t seem to work and it’s showing the Home page instead. FYI. Very informative travel site by the way!

How strange, I’ll be sure to check out it. Thanks, Hazel! 🙂

We are planning a road trip between Rome and Florence in May so coming across your post has been fantastic so thank you. Lots of ideas from reading your article…Montepulciano, Perugia, Pisa, Siena & Assisi. We have 2 possibly 3 nights for the drive (yet to decide on a hotel or Airbnb) so just wanted to see (if you have the time) what you would recommend. I think Assisi will be a must for us. This will be our first trip to Italy.

Hi Charlie!

If you’re doing Assisi, Perugia or Montepulciano would be very easy to add on geographically speaking, so those would be my first picks.

Pisa is interesting but many people find it less compelling than the rest. If you want to visit, I’d consider taking the train from Florence for a day rather than driving out there.

Hope you have a wonderful time!

Thanks for this article. We are going to Italy in September (COVID factors permitting), and we had originally planned on us taking the train from Rome to Florence, but I think instead we will rent a car and visit Orvieto and spend the night in Montepulciano instead as a bit of a mini-Tuscany excursion between.

Hope you guys have a great time! Orvieto and Montepulciano are both gorgeous. 🙂

Hi Kate! We will be driving from Rome to Florence in June, thank you for your in-depth amazing article! We are planning on spending two nights in montepluciano as a base to explore the countryside. What do you think of that idea?Would you recommend another town that is more central as a base? Thank you so much 🙂

So glad it was helpful, Kim!

Montepulciano is a fantastic idea, we actually based ourselves there on our trip to Tuscany last month. Here’s our guide to the town if you haven’t seen it: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/things-to-do-in-montepulciano-italy/

Be sure to visit the Val d’Orcia and Pienza (one of our favorite little towns in Tuscany) while you’re there! 🙂

Hi Kate, with my wife we are taking a train from Rome To Florence. The idea is to rent a car

in Forence and drive Tuscany 3 days. Do you have a route itinerary or routes to take or avoid?? Also any recommended winnery If you could also recommend places to stay in FLorence, how bout parking in Florence?

Thanks in advance for any info that could assist us!!

With 3 days, you’ll definitely want to stick to northern Tuscany–think places like Lucca, Volterra, San Gimignano, etc. This post will be a good start for you and has lots of information: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/tuscany-road-trip-itinerary/

We have many posts about Florence as well, including places to stay: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/2-days-in-florence-itinerary/

You guys will have a great time–there’s lots to see in that area!

Do you have any recommendations for private drivers? We are looking to travel from Rome to Florence with a stop in Montepulciano for an ebike wine tour and/or Saturnia. Would love any drivers or other advice you may have.

Hi Ellie! No, we’ve never used a private driver in Italy so aren’t a good resource there. I know that some private drivers list their services/tours through Get Your Guide, which we use to book many other kinds of tours. 🙂

Hi Kate, Love your site and hope it will be useful. We are traveling from Florence to Rome and have only one night to stay on the way. It might be around Orvieto, but we don’t want to stay in the town, can you recommend any beautiful place to stay around that area? Cheers

Hi Soledad,

Not off the top of my head, but what I’d recommend is looking for a country hotel or agriturismo near Orvieto.

There will be many around, and they tend to include free on-site parking, easy access, and (often) a wonderful included breakfast. Some agriturismos offer a dinner service, too.

Great website you have created and maintained. A lot of information and the links have been helpful for a possible mid April trip. Thank you!

Thanks, Allen! Hope you guys have a great trip to Italy.

We are planning to go to Tuscany this summer (end of June) and only will have 3-4 days. We are getting off the cruise in Rome, planning to rent a car and drive to Florence. I want to see Montepulciano, Pienza, Orvieto, Volterra, San Gimignano and Greve. Also that town that has the pedestrian bridge if possible, but I’m thinking this is too much to do in this short time! Can you help me narrow it down, or suggest some hidden gems that we might not know about? Thank you so much!

I’m not sure how busy your trip will be before and after the Tuscany leg, so I’ll give advice as if you’ll have lots of energy toward the beginning of a trip and you can scale down as needed.

First things first, most “Rome” cruises stop in Civitavecchia–assuming this is true of yours, I’d rent a car there and bypass the capital entirely, since it doesn’t sound like you plan to sightsee in Rome.

If you rent a car in Civitavecchia, you can stop in Civita di Bagnoregio (the town with the pedestrian bridge) on your way north. A couple of hours can give you a solid taste of that town. Orvieto is just to the north of there, depending on when your cruise gets in your can potentially spend the night there.

The next day, you can continue north and explore Montepulciano and Pienza before sleeping in Florence.

Technically, the following day you could visit San Gimignano and Volterra, but if you’ve already done all that sightseeing, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it–I’d consider enjoying Florence for the rest of your time instead.

Hotel Silla, which we have linked in our 2 week Italy guide, has both fairly simple parking and easy access to the best of Florence on foot, a coveted combination. We stayed there in 2022 and enjoyed it: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/2-weeks-in-italy-itinerary/

Personally, Greve isn’t our favorite town in Tuscany and I’d consider trimming it–the surrounding area is lovely, but it wouldn’t be my priority on a short trip.

We are heading to Rome in a few weeks and want a driver to take us to Florence while sight seeing along the way. Do you have any recommendations for who can do this? We are interested in a similar service between Florence and Venice

We’ve never hired a private driver ourselves, however, you can often find them on Get Your Guide, which is the aggregate we book lots of our Italy tours and attractions through.

Thank you very much for your information about Tuscany. I am planning a 26 days trip with my wife in Italy from Sicilia to Genoa in May. I plan to spend 6 nights in Tuscany. We will drive from Rome to Florence and wonder if our plan, based on your recommendation, is good or too many places to visit / drive to. Or should I add more citta? Day 1 : Terme di Saturnia Civita di Bagnoregio Orvietto – sleep here Day 2 : Asissi Val D’Orcia Montepulciano – sleep here Day 3 : Siena – sleep here Day 4 : Voltera San Gimignano – sleep here Day 5-6 : Florence

Thank you very much in advance for your advice.

It’s doable but a bit rushed! If you consider this route a wish list of sorts, don’t necessarily want to see everything in each place, and are flexible with adding/deleting stops as time allows, it’s workable.

Assisi is a bit out of the way compared to your other stops, if it’s not a high priority for you, I’d recommend considering spending more time in the Val d’ Orcia instead.

Same goes for Saturnia – you could trim a couple hours of driving time off your route by skipping it.

I appreciate your advice. You are absolutely right. It is too rush to include Asissi. I planned to drive along the western coastline to Saturnia. Is it a pretty and interesting route to explore? Is white whale in San Filippo giving similar experience as Saturnia? If so then I don’t really need to visit Saturnia.

I think Verona/Dolomites (after Tuscany) is also out of my route to Cinque Terre and Genoa. So I will cut 2 nights there and add 1 more night in Florence.

It seems we need at least 2 months to explore the whole Italy!

Grazie mille!

I’ve only traveled that section of the western coastline by train, but can confirm that the train views at least were wonderful!

Terme di San Filippo will be a bit quieter and likely more peaceful than Saturnia, so if you’re not set on the idea of Saturnia in particular, I think that could be a solid switch.

There’s definitely no end to how much there is to explore in Italy! Our wish list is still longer than when we started visiting. 🙂

Hi Kate! I was wondering what you thought about this section of our itinerary:-) Our family of 5 (2 adults, 18-year-old and twin 15-year-olds). Cinque Terre to Florence with an overnight stop in Lucca. Stay in Florence 2 days. From Florence to Rome, I want to stop at 1 or 2 places. From looking at pictures I thought these were the prettiest places: Orvieto, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Perugia (Looks like a postcard) Assisi and Siena. Would you recommend a few combinations of places that I can pick from. Kristine

Hi Kristine,

Assuming you’re doing the Florence to Rome drive in one day with these stops, I’d recommend either a combination of Orvieto and Montepulciano or a combination of San Gimignano and Siena.

Perugia and Assisi are further east, so they add the most driving time of the possibilities you mentioned.

Hope you guys have a great time!

I’d love to do a road trip from Rome to Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, with a stop in Montepulciano, but our friends recently had all of their luggage stolen when they were in Pisa for lunch. If there is no way to keep our luggage safe, we’d rather take the train and then double back after renting a car in Florence. Have you found safe/protected places to leave your car while sightseeing? Or, should we consider a night in Montepulciano on the way?

Hi Maryann,

I’m sorry that happened to your friends!

When it comes to keeping your belongings safe while parking, the general rule of thumb for storing things in your car in Italy (or anywhere else in Europe or really, the world) is to leave absolutely everything out of sight. This isn’t necessarily because thieves are breaking in left and right, but it’s seen as a culturally acceptable caution, like locking your doors at home.

Most European cars without a traditional trunk have a shade of sorts that pulls over the trunk section, 100% concealing anything inside. We leave our luggage in there semi-regularly and feel perfectly safe doing so. We also take any odds and ends from the front of our car–spare change, a phone charger, etc–and put it in the glovebox out of sight when leaving our car.

When sightseeing in Tuscany, generally you’ll park in a lot or occasionally garage just outside of the historic center. They’re not generally guarded, but they tend to be busy, especially at popular places during the day.

All of that aside, a night in Montepulciano is never a bad idea. 🙂 I wouldn’t let potential theft be the reason you make that decision, though, unless you think the worry will detract from your trip otherwise.

I hope that helps!

Hi Kate we are planning a trip in January to Italy (we know it will be cold, but main holiday is skiing) and want to drive from Rome to Florence. We would like to spend a night in a Village along the way but are undecided between Montalcino, Montepulciano and San Gimignano. Which village is better when considering accommodation, parking, fees and sightseeing? We also really like our wine. Would you recommend renting and dropping off the car at the airports at each city to avoid driving in heavy traffic? Would really appreciate your help here.

All of the villages you mentioned are wonderful, and they’re also fairly small! They also (like virtually all hilltop towns in Italy) all require parking outside the historic center and walking in from there, though there are occasional exceptions depending on what hotel you book.

Personally, I’d lean toward Montepulciano based simply on the fact that it’s the closest to your route, and of course, it’s also famous for its wine. Depending on your schedule, you could also stop at one of the others the next day as you continue to Florence, though it would require driving out of your way.

Whether you pick up cars at the airports or in town, heavy traffic is probably unavoidable in the cities. Picking up at the airport also sometimes comes with additional fees, though that can vary! I’d do a price comparison between a few different pickup points and see what you find.

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Florence Is Italy's Cultural Capital — Here's Where to Eat, Stay, and Visit, According to an Expert

This local's guide to compact, walkable Florence, Italy, shares the best restaurants, shops, and museums to visit on your trip.

Laura Itzkowitz is a freelance writer and editor based in Rome. She has been contributing to Travel + Leisure since 2014, when she started as a fact checker before becoming a contributing digital editor in 2015 and going freelance in 2016. She has also held positions as a contributing editor at The Points Guy and the NYC cities editor at DuJour Magazine. In addition to Travel + Leisure , her writing has appeared in Architectural Digest , Surface Magazine , Brooklyn Magazine , T Magazine , The Wall Street Journal , Vogue, GQ, Departures, Afar, Fodor's, Town & Country , Condé Nast Traveler , Robb Report , Hemispheres, and others. When she's not jetsetting around Italy and beyond, she can be found in Rome, enjoying some cacio e pepe or relaxing at home with her husband and two dogs. Originally from the Boston area, Laura moved to New York City in 2011 to pursue a master's degree in creative writing and translation at Columbia University. She also holds a bachelor's degree in French from Smith College. * 10+ years of experience writing and editing * Co-wrote "New York: Hidden Bars & Restaurants," an award-winning guide to New York City's speakeasy scene published by Jonglez Editions in 2015 * Contributed to "Fodor's Brooklyn," published by Penguin Random House in 2015, which won silver in the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism competition * Contributed an essay to "Epic Hikes of Europe," published by Lonely Planet in 2021 * Updated the 2022 edition of "Fodor's Essential Italy"

Best Hotels and Resorts

Best things to do, best shopping, best nightlife, best restaurants, best time to visit, how to get there, neighborhoods to visit, how to get around.

Evgeniya Vlasova/Travel + Leisure

Capital of Tuscany, cradle of the Renaissance, and one of Italy’s most popular destinations, Florence needs little introduction. A World’s Best Awards Hall of Fame honoree , it consistently ranks as one of Travel + Leisure readers’ favorite cities thanks to its rich history, artistic treasures, and delicious food and wine, much of which comes from the nearby hills of Chianti and Montalcino. Florence is a must-visit destination for a rich cultural immersion in Italian art and history.

Though the historic center is relatively compact, it’s crammed with museums containing priceless works of art, churches that are architectural masterpieces, restaurants, bars, and shops selling everything from gastronomic specialties to handmade leather goods and jewelry. In fact, Florence has always been a haven for artisans practicing traditional crafts, and today, you can still find artisan-made goods if you know where to look. 

It would take years to see and do everything Florence has to offer, which is why we’ve enlisted the help of local expert Mary Gray , the editor-in-chief of Italy magazine who has lived in Florence for more than a decade. “The things that drew me here were the same things that draw all visitors and students here, but what’s kept me here has evolved over the years,” she says. “The city is gloriously walkable and compact while having many of the cultural offerings of a much larger and more metropolitan place.”

Top 5 Can’t Miss

• The Helvetia & Bristol Firenze is the city’s oldest luxury hotel, and after a top-to-bottom renovation, it’s more glamorous than ever.
• The Uffizi Gallery contains some of the greatest works of art ever created.
• La Scuola del Cuoio carries on Florence’s historic leather-making tradition and is the perfect place to buy a high-quality artisan bag.
• A sunset aperitivo at La Terrazza at the Hotel Continentale is the perfect segue into a lovely evening in Florence.
• When in Florence, you must try the bistecca alla Fiorentina; the best place to get it is Regina Bistecca.

The St. Regis Florence

Voted the number one hotel in Florence in the 2023 World’s Best Awards , this opulent grand dame has pride of place along the Arno River. Contemporary art curated by Liquid Art System adds a touch of modernity to the otherwise classic decor. Don’t miss an aperitivo in the Winter Garden.  

Helvetia & Bristol Firenze

With a score of 94.75, Florence’s oldest luxury hotel closely follows the St. Regis in the 2023 World’s Best Awards. A major renovation in 2019 restored this member of the Leading Hotels of the World to its original glory, adding a soothing spa and outpost of Cibrèo restaurant and café. “I love to go to the spa at the Helvetia & Bristol when I’m in the mood to give myself the ‘staycation’ treatment,” Gray says.

Hotel Savoy, a Rocco Forte Hotel

The Rocco Forte Hotels group is known for impeccable design and service, and the Hotel Savoy certainly fulfills those promises, earning it a spot as the third-best hotel in Florence in the 2023 World’s Best Awards. Standout details include colorful textiles by Laudomia Pucci, menus designed by lauded chef Fulvio Pierangelini, and views of the Duomo.

Four Seasons Hotel Firenze

Courtesy of Four Seasons

More like an urban resort than a city hotel, the Four Seasons Firenze occupies the historic Palazzo della Gherardesca and is home to Florence's most extensive private garden. Original frescoes and period furnishings immerse guests in Renaissance splendor, and a meal at the Michelin-starred Il Palagio is a feast for the senses. No wonder this hotel ranked the fourth best in Florence in the 2023 World’s Best Awards.

Owned by the noble Ginori family, who once used the building as the headquarters of their world-famous ceramics production, Casa G. is a 15-room boutique hotel. A more affordable alternative to the city’s luxury five-star hotels, it offers style at prices that won’t break the bank. 

Admire incredible art at the Uffizi Gallery.

Florence is packed full of museums, but if you only go to one, make it the Uffizi Galleries , which contains a collection from the 13th to the 20th century. Must-see paintings include Botticelli’s Birth of Venus , Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch , and Caravaggio’s Bacchus . 

Learn about Brunelleschi’s masterpiece at the Opera del Duomo Museum.

The Duomo is Florence's most recognizable landmark with its symbolic red terracotta tiled roof and Gothic facade. However, many of the great artworks created for it now reside in the nearby Opera del Duomo Museum . “This is definitely one of the most spectacular museums in the city and maybe in all of Italy,” Gray says. “I always tell visitors that if they’re deciding between going inside the cathedral or going inside the museum, there’s no contest.”

Visit the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.

With a history that stretches back to 1221, this is considered the world’s oldest pharmacy , where Dominican friars produced medicinal tinctures and perfumes. It was the official perfumer of Catherine de’ Medici and officially opened its doors to the public in 1542. The brand now sells its perfumes worldwide, but the original shop was turned into a sort of museum worth a visit.

Stroll through the Boboli and Bardini Gardens.

Christopher Larson/Travel + Leisure

Behind Palazzo Pitti, the Medicis’ royal palace, the Boboli Gardens are the archetype of the classic Renaissance Italian gardens, with fountains, grottoes, and statues. The same ticket will grant you access to the Gardens of the Villa Bardini, which has incredible views of Florence and, in the spring, wisteria-covered pergolas.

Explore Markets like the Mercato Centrale and the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio.

Though the stalls outside the Mercato Centrale in San Lorenzo mainly sell fake leather goods and cheap souvenirs, the actual market is worth visiting. On the ground floor, vendors sell produce, meat, cheeses, fish, and other groceries, while the upper floor has been turned into an upscale food hall. The Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio is a “great convergence point in the city for visitors and residents,” according to Gray. There’s also a flea market nearby in Largo Annigoni.

 Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

La Scuola del Cuoio

Established post-World War II as a way to help orphans learn a trade, the Scuola del Cuoio still teaches students the art of leather-making. You can tour the school, learn about the process, and then buy original bags, wallets, belts, and other leather items.

Scarpelli Mosaici

Scarpelli Mosaici is one of the few remaining workshops that still makes mosaics and inlaid marble items the traditional way. Head to the shop near the Duomo to watch the artisans at work and buy a unique piece. They also work on commissions to make inlaid marble tables and other beautiful objects.

Marina Calamai

“ I’ve always been super inspired by Marina Calamai , who I think of as a true contemporary Renaissance woman,” Gray says about this jeweler and artist. “Her hands are in a ton of different artistic initiatives and green projects around Florence and the greater metropolitan area, but window-shopping her jewelry and art studio on Via Santo Spirito is a regular part of my daily route; I always love seeing what she’s come up with.”

Alberto Cozzi Rilegatore

Gray recommends this family-run shop opened in 1908, specializing in bookbinding, paper marbling, and the restoration of antique books. Stop by one of their shops — located on Via del Parione and Via Sant’Agostino — to pick up some stationary, a leather-bound journal, or have a book repaired.

Pegna dal 1860

“ Pegna is where I go in a pinch when I need to pick up travel-friendly non-perishables to take back to the ‘foodies’ among my stateside family and friends,” Gray notes. “Though it’s a historic local grocery, I do love that there is a range of products sourced from all over Italy, like capers from Pantelleria and Krumiri Rossi from Piedmont.”

Peter Adams/Getty Images

La Terrazza at the Hotel Continentale

It should come as no surprise that one of the best rooftop bars in Florence is run by the Ferragamo family. Book in advance if you want a spot at this small al fresco bar overlooking the Arno River. It’s incredibly atmospheric for a sunset aperitivo. 

Companion Dolceamaro Bar at 25Hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino

Gray likes the 25Hours Hotel for its variety of nightlife options, which includes the lobby lounge, the courtyard, and the intimate Companion Dolceamaro Bar . It has a wide selection of bitters, vermouths, and cocktails, but the most popular option is the Negroni, which has several versions. 

Vineria Sonora

“In Florence in recent years, it’s felt like a lot of venues have tamped down their personalities or strayed from their niches to appeal to more people or just to become more Instagrammable,” Gay says. “I love that Vineria Sonora stubbornly embraces doing its own thing, focusing on fun music and offbeat wines from small, independent producers. It’s perfect for pre-dinner or nightcap, and I love that it draws such a mix of demographics and ages.”

Chelsea Loren/Travel + Leisure

Alla Vecchia Bettola

“There’s definitely more to Florentine dining than steak, but when I’m craving one now and then, this is where I go,” Gray says about this no-frills trattoria with tables crammed together and stools instead of chairs. “I love sitting elbow-to-elbow and swilling back the house wine, but this admittedly isn’t the best place to go if you need to have a deep conversation over dinner —  you’re lucky if you can hear your seatmate over the ruckus!”

Regina Bistecca

For bistecca alla fiorentina and other Tuscan classics, including pillowy ricotta and spinach gnudi, in a more refined but still laid-back atmosphere, head to this lovely restaurant near the Duomo. The building used to be an antiquarian bookshop with soaring arches and the owners have kept the charming vintage vibes.

Borgo San Jacopo

For an unforgettable fine dining experience, book a table at this Michelin-starred restaurant inside the Lungarno Hotel, which is part of the Ferragamo family’s empire. The nautical-inspired interiors might make you feel like you’re on a yacht floating on the Arno as you savor one of Chef Claudio Mengoni’s exquisite tasting menus.

Trattoria Cammillo

“When one of my best friends who traded in Florence for London a few years ago comes back to town for visits we always love to make a splashy Saturday of it and have a special-occasion lunch at Cammillo . It’s a step up in price point from your average shabby-chic trattoria, but still has a soulful, neighborhood feel, which I love,” Gray says.

The Cibrèo family of restaurants encompasses five locations in Florence. There’s the restaurant, the trattoria, the café, the Tuscan-Oriental fusion spot, and a new outpost inside the Helvetia & Bristol Hotel. When Gray used to teach travel writing to university students, she sometimes brought them to Cibrèo Caffè. “This is still one of my favorite ways to spend a special morning out in Florence,” she maintains.

Evgeniya Vlasova/Travel + Leisure

The best time to visit Florence for fewer crowds is November through March. Summer is hot and crowded. Gray says, “A real ‘low season’ in Florence isn’t much of a thing anymore.” She loves January and February but posits that March is an excellent middle ground because the weather is good, the local event scene tends to pick up after a winter hiatus, and the crowds usually swell around Easter.

Easter is a significant celebration throughout Italy, and in Florence, the festivities include the Scoppio del Carro, in which a wooden cart pulled by flower-adorned oxen explodes directly in front of the Duomo. Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is one of Italy’s oldest music festivals. It typically starts mid-April and runs through mid-June, with classical music concerts, operas, and other performances. The city also celebrates its patron saint, St. John the Baptist, on June 24 with a game of Calcio Storico, a mix of rugby, soccer, and wrestling, with participants wearing 16th-century costumes. 

Florence is served by the Amerigo Vespucci Airport, which is about half an hour from the city center. It’s also easy to get to Florence by train from elsewhere in Italy. High-speed Frecciarossa trains run frequently from major cities like Rome, Milan, Bologna, and Venice. The Frecciarossa takes about 90 minutes from Rome, two hours from Milan, 40 minutes from Bologna, and a little more than two hours from Venice. The central train station is Firenze Santa Maria Novella.

Duomo: Also known as San Giovanni, the part of the centro storico that covers the Duomo and Piazza della Signoria is the very heart of the city. This area is packed with sites, including the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Repubblica, and the banks of the Arno.

Evgeniya Vlasova /Travel + Leisure

Santa Croce: Just east of the Duomo, Santa Croce is known for the Basilica di Santa Croce, which contains incredible frescoes by Giotto and the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo. The neighborhood is home to the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, which, according to Gray, is a hidden gem.  

Santa Maria Novella: Santa Maria Novella is the neighborhood where you’ll find the train station and basilica of the same name. The western part of the neighborhood beyond the train station is primarily residential, but the area around the basilica is home to some upscale hotels, restaurants, and bars.

San Lorenzo: The small area between the train station and the Duomo is San Lorenzo, the city’s central market district. Beware of the stalls selling fake leather or souvenirs made in China. On the other hand, you’ll find vendors selling fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat on the ground floor. The upper floor houses a food hall selling local specialties like lampredotto (tripe sandwiches) and schiacciata (a Tuscan flatbread).

Oltrarno: Literally ‘across the Arno,’ Oltrarno is a more laid-back, slightly bohemian area. Gray, who has lived in Oltrarno for the entirety of her time in Florence, says, “I’ve watched it change a lot over the past decade-plus; artisan studios and workers’ neighborhood trattorie are being replaced by generic Aperol Spritz spots and run-of-the-mill shops, but if you know where to look (and hint: it’s not where the long lines are), you’ll find Florentine traditions and long-standing independent shops quietly humming on.”

The historic center of Florence is compact and very walkable. Much of it has been pedestrianized or is part of a limited traffic zone. A car is a hindrance rather than a help, but taxis, buses, and trams are available to transport you to or from the airport or train station. 

Autolinee Toscane: Autolinee Toscane runs the buses and trams that connect Florence with the greater metropolitan area. Tickets cost 1.70 euros if you buy them in advance at ticket offices or ticket machines or 3 euros if you buy them on board.

Taxi: There are two taxi companies in Florence: Taxi4242 and Taxi4390 . A trip to or from the airport costs a flat rate of 22 euros (plus possible surcharges for luggage), but usually, fares are calculated based on the time and distance traveled. Use the itTaxi app to hail a taxi.

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9 replies to this topic

There are two operating train companies, Trenitalia and Italo. Trenitalia is the largest and has the most train routes. You can go to their website and look at whats offered on the date you are interested. You will see a full list of the train times for the day you choose. Their website is https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

Thank you for the info. I appreciate it!

Thank you for the info. I appreciate your reply!

These are perhaps a little simpler to reach than the Amalfi Coast . You can continue from Napoli Centrale to Sorrento by train as well. The better option there is the 4 times a day Campania Express . Arrive in Naples before 10:45 so you can catch the 11:26 to Sorrento. Trip takes another 70 minutes. Come back on the one that leaves at 16:20 or 19:20 to catch a fast train back to Rome. Don't bother with the more frequent Circumvesuviana local commuter train that is cheap, crowded, hot, etc.

For trains between Rome and Naples, look at Trenitalia (as cited above) or Italo.

Wow! Thanks for such a detailed answer. I appreciate it!

Wow! That sounds like fun! Thank you!

Fastest train to Salerno from Rome takes about 1 hr 35 min. Be sure you know the times of the last ferries when leaving an AC villa ge to go back to Salerno.

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The Absolute Best Time For A Vacation To Italy, According To Rick Steves

I s Italy on your bucket list? A trip to one of the most beautiful countries in the world is hard to beat. From the fashion of Milan and the history of Rome to Pompeii's preserved treasures, the art of Florence, and the beauty of Cortona, it's the destination of a lifetime. Of course, you're not alone in your desire to see these beautiful places. There is also the weather to take into consideration. Certain months are easier to navigate than others, and travel expert Rick Steves has shared his pick for the best time to take a vacation in Italy on his website .  

While you may have to plan your Italian getaway around your work schedule, some flexibility could make it even more wonderful. Spring and fall trips to this beautiful country will have a major impact in what you can see, how you move around, your comfort level, and whether or not you can experience everything you've hoped since you saw your first picture of the Roman Forum. Steves lays out good reasons for this. We've got a few tips of our own as well.

Read more: 22 Gorgeous Islands For Vacationing That Won't Break The Bank, According To Booking Sites

Why Late Spring, Early Summer, And Fall Are The Best Times For Italian Travel

Rick Steves recommends visiting Italy in May, June, September, or October. While he says these are the most expensive and busiest months, there is an excellent reason to go anyway: The weather is perfect for walking. Remember that in many Italian cities, you won't just look at art in museums and stroll through lovely corridors full of statues. You'll be outside marveling at the architecture of buildings like the Duomo in Florence, walking the streets around  Rome's Trevi Fountain (where tourists have to follow some strict rules ), and eating outside in the square in Siena.

Steves advises that many places will have air conditioning, but some will not. They certainly do not pump cool air into the pretty jewelry shops along the Ponte Vecchio, which is completely outside. That means going in July and August can be rough if you're sensitive to heat. The weather can be muggy, and in Rome, you may encounter temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. On a trip to the Eternal City in August 2023, the line for the Coliseum was almost three hours long in the blazing sun. While you may have to wait that long in May, at least you're unlikely to be roasting. Additionally, Steves points out that in Italy, locals take their vacations in August much of the time, so you may not be able to visit every spot you want to if you arrive then. Attractions and businesses shut down, particularly around the Ferragosto holiday on August 15.

Other Times To Visit Italy

If you visit Italy in the height of the summer months, Steves suggests not making the common tourist mistake of wearing shorts , as Italians really only wear them in resort towns and at beaches. A loose skirt or light pants are the way to go. In addition, many churches and religious sites require you to have your shoulders, midriff, and knees covered, so carrying a light scarf is a good idea.

May through October is going to be crowded, so if that's what you want to avoid, Steves advises visiting Italy from November through April. The weather will be cooler, with temperatures sometimes in the 40s up north and in the 50s in Rome. If that's your jam, though, you'll have a lot of luck steering clear of crowds unless you go over the holidays when it gets busy again. Beach towns are not worth visiting around this time, but if it's the monuments and art you want to experience (and the food, of course), it's just about perfect.

You'll likely find shorter hours and businesses closing in the middle of the day for longer in the off season, but you can take leisurely walks and spend more time viewing the majesty of this incredible place without being shoved out of the way by the next person who wants to see a Botticelli. Linger over dinner reviewing what you saw that day. ( Dinners in Italy are not a quick experience in general, which surprises some tourists .) Viva Italia!

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The 25 Essential Pasta Dishes to Eat in Italy

Two chefs, one cookbook author, a culinary historian and a food writer made a list of the country’s most delicious meals, from carbonara in Rome to ravioli in Campania.

Credit... Enea Arienti

Supported by

By Deborah Dunn ,  Vicky Bennison ,  Marianna Cerini ,  Robyn Eckhardt ,  Laurel Evans ,  Kristina Gill ,  Andrew Sean Greer ,  Lee Marshall ,  Elizabeth Minchilli ,  Marina O’Loughlin ,  Katie Parla ,  Rachel Roddy ,  Eric Sylvers and Laura May Todd

Photographs by Enea Arienti

• Published May 17, 2024 Updated May 22, 2024

For a food that begins with just flour, water or sometimes eggs, there are infinite variations of pasta. So what happens when you convene a panel of five Italian cuisine experts and ask them to determine the 25 most essential pasta dishes throughout Italy? “I’m sweating,” said Davide Palluda, the chef and owner of All’Enoteca restaurant and osteria in the Piedmont region. “This is too heavy,” he joked during the two-hour video call that I convened to debate his nominations and those of the four other panelists: Stefano Secchi, the chef and a co-owner of New York City’s Rezdôra ; the Tuscany-based cookbook author Emiko Davies ; the Umbria-based culinary historian Karima Moyer-Nocchi ; and the food writer and novelist Roberta Corradin, who lives in Florence, Sicily and Boston. A week before our call, I’d asked each to make their own list of 10 standouts (since he was a panelist, Palluda’s restaurants were automatically excluded); after an energetic debate and several more phone calls, emails and WhatsApp messages, we whittled that list in half. The final picks appear below in unranked alphabetical order, along with the ideal wine to drink with each pasta dish, as recommended by the chosen restaurants and reviewed by Davies’s husband, the sommelier Marco Lami.

This list is the latest in our T 25 series , which highlights significant achievements in the worlds of design, literature , fashion , architecture and food . Previous debates about where to eat right now were confined to major cities like Paris and Mexico City , but this time around, we wanted to see what we might learn if we surveyed the culinary landscape across an entire food-crazed country. We chose pasta because it’s the food most associated with Italy, and because it’s the subject of T’s new Travel issue . It’s also the staple that reveals just how much Italian cooking, even in 2024, remains firmly anchored to a specific place. While most countries have regional fare, Italy is particularly fixated on a recipe’s exact provenance — the town, the valley, the strip of coastline — which is why you’ll often find different pasta shapes or sauces, even over the span of just a few miles.

This culinary diversity informed many of the panelists’ decisions: sometimes, they opted to include a dish because it’s rarely made beyond its birthplace (see Lombardy’s pizzoccheri, No. 12); other times, they chose a favorite sauce (for example, carbonara) or simply a type of pasta like strangozzi (typical of Umbria) since it, like so many local specialties found in the countryside, is paired with different ingredients depending on the time of year.

Only two specific dishes were nominated by more than one panelist: the agnolotti del plin at Madonna della Neve in the Piedmont and the vincisgrassi at Osteria dei Fiori in the Marche region, both centuries-old dishes served at decades-old restaurants. The classics, in general, came up again and again. Even the more idiosyncratic dishes that merited inclusion were riffs on familiar fare: Secchi, for example, made an impassioned plea for the dish called the Crunchy Part of the Lasagna, the chef Massimo Bottura’s technical take on the beloved casserole, offered at his Francescana restaurant at Maria Luigia in Modena, Emilia-Romagna. “If we’re talking about transcendent pasta experiences, that’s it,” Secchi said. (Lasagna, in fact, made a strong showing on this list, which features three varieties.) Secchi suggested one reason the old favorites took primacy: relentless demand.

Northern and central Italy are also overrepresented, perhaps because that’s where most of the participants are based, though Corradin argued that she could easily make an entire list dedicated to any region. And Palluda worried about omitting gnocchi, though there was some disagreement about whether the dumplings usually made with potato and flour are even considered pasta. But Corradin had the final word: “No. Gnocchi is gnocchi. It’s a different chapter. Next time.” — Deborah Dunn

The interview portion has been edited and condensed.

1. The Agnolotti del Plin at Ristorante Madonna Della Neve

Cessole, piedmont.

Overlooking the Bormida valley, Ristorante Madonna della Neve sits opposite the 16th-century chapel for which it’s named. With large windows framing bucolic views, its classic osteria ambience is echoed in its menu of time-honored dishes. While agnolotti is a term used for many kinds of stuffed pasta, especially in Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region, it’s the agnolotti del plin — penny-size filled pasta that’s named for the pinch with which it’s sealed (“pinch” is plin in the Piedmontese dialect) — that are the real star. The manager, Piermassimo Cirio, whose grandparents opened Ristorante Madonna della Neve in 1952 and who sometimes heads up the kitchen, says that meeting the demand for agnolotti del plin requires a full day of filling and folding each week from a crew of staff and family members. And for many guests, the pasta — which is filled with a mixture of ground veal, pork and rabbit, Parmigiano-Reggiano, rosemary and borage — is, in itself, a multicourse meal. Start with the version served al tovagliolo, meaning on a linen napkin without sauce, allowing the gentle sweetness of the filling’s leafy greens to shine. Follow with agnolotti with sage and butter or, more bracingly, sage and lemon juice (Cirio’s invention). Next, try them with a sauce of Bolognese-ish ragù or, as an alternative, the juices and tender scraps of a beef roast (arrosto). For a final course, order a small bowl of agnolotti doused with Barbera wine. Suggested wine pairing: Isolabella della Croce Maria Teresa Barbera d’Asti 2022. — Robyn Eckhardt

2 Reg. Madonna della Neve

Roberta Corradin: I grew up in Piedmont and homemade agnolotti with a roasted meat filling is mandatory.

Karima Moyer-Nocchi: Madonna della Neve is an incredible experience.

Stefano Secchi : I was just there last year and it’s fantastic.

Davide Palluda: I took a picture with the almost 90-year-old [Piera Cirio, Piermassimo’s mother] a few years ago, and I asked her how many agnolotti she’s made in her life. I think a million. She has the forearms! She’s the one that [reminds] all the young chefs in Piedmont why we have to respect [the traditions]. The nicest way to have it is just boiled and naked, without sauce.

Moyer-Nocchi: Oh, yeah, that’s gorgeous. It’s homey and nurturing, and that humble way that it’s served makes it a transformative experience.

2. The Busiate at Duomo

Ragusa ibla, sicily.

The Sicilian chef Ciccio Sultano calls the busiate, an elegant but sturdy corkscrew pasta shape that was historically formed by wrapping the dough around knitting needles (or the stem of a local grass) , “matriarchal.” It’s a specialty of Trapani, on Sicily’s west coast, and usually served with pesto Trapanese: almonds, basil, garlic, tomatoes, pecorino, perhaps a touch of fresh mint. But at Duomo, a gastronomic institution in Ragusa Ibla, on the southern end of the island, Sultano goes much further, imbuing the pasta (always made in-house from heritage grains such as tumminia and perciasacchi) with intense local flavors. The busiate on the current menu features fragrant wild fennel and saffron and a ragù of glittering anchovies and mackerel. And to finish: grated red tuna heart. Another longtime favorite version, which resurfaces from time to time, is the busiate kneaded with rosewater and topped with plump, sweet Mazara prawns (pictured above). Opened nearly 24 years ago, Duomo, as the name suggests, sits in a handsome townhouse down the street from Ragusa Ibla’s dramatic Baroque cathedral, less than an hour from where Sultano took his first job in a kitchen, at a pastry shop, when he was just 13. Eating this dish, he suggests, evokes the island life, culinary influences via Sicily’s many centuries of invaders, from the Greeks and Arabs to the Normans, and the voluptuousness of a cuisine born of the sea. Suggested wine pairing: Pietradolce Archineri Etna Bianco 2018. — Marina O’Loughlin

31 Via Capitano Bocchieri

Corradin: Busiate are Sicily’s version of fusilli. In the western part of Sicily, they make long busiate, which are difficult to eat. If you’re a gentleman, the busiate will slap your tie. That’s the kind that Ciccio Sultano at Duomo makes. The rosewater he puts in the dough gives a hint of the region’s past, when it was under Arab domination. It bounces you back to another time.

3. The Cacio e Pepe at Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina

Made with only pasta, cheese and pepper, cacio e pepe seems downright simple, yet this classic Roman dish is mired with potential pitfalls: cooks know to beware the dreaded clumping. Not only does Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina make a perfect version, they’re unafraid to tweak it when necessary: If the pecorino is fresher, and so less intensely salty, the chefs use only that. If it’s older, they’ll perhaps add some Parmesan to temper the ferocity. Their special blend of ground black peppercorns — including the perfumed, potent Sarawak — makes this simple dish, prepared with tonnarelli (a spaghetti-like egg pasta), memorable. This, at a mere 20 years old, is one of the newer additions to the small Roscioli group of restaurants and bakeries in Rome (a pasticceria also opened 10 years ago). All are popular among tourists, but escaping the chaos of Campo dei Fiori for a seat at the counter here, a glass of red wine in hand, the cacio e pepe in front of you, feels like the real Rome. Suggested wine pairing: Damiano Ciolli Podere Ciriolino Cesanese di Olevano 2022. — M.O.

21 Via dei Giubbonari

Palluda: Cacio e pepe is easy to prepare but it’s not easy to make a good one. Roscioli cooks it the right way, with the right ingredients. If I have the chance I always go when I’m in Rome — if I can get in, it’s a small restaurant — and I always eat the cacio e pepe.

4. The Carbonara at Ristorante l’Arcangelo

Though Rome is the Italian city most often associated with antiquity, carbonara — arguably the most popular of its classic pastas, which also include cacio e pepe, amatriciana and alla gricia — is actually a 20th-century innovation. The dish’s creator and exact place of origin are unknown, but an often-told story involves the arrival of Allied troops in Rome in 1944: The soldiers, or someone cooking for them, allegedly mixed eggs, powdered milk and bacon with pasta. Today, carbonara is usually made with eggs, guanciale (cured pork jowl), pecorino cheese, black pepper and spaghetti. Some chefs use only yolks while others add the whole egg. Some stick to pecorino while others mix in parmigiano. Some pair the sauce with rigatoni instead of spaghetti. Every chef in the city likely believes they make the best version, but the rigatoni alla carbonara at Ristorante l’Arcangelo — a white-tableclothed establishment near Vatican City — has earned its place among the essential dishes of Rome. The silky sauce, salty but not overpowering, evenly coats the rigatoni, pooling just enough in the bottom of the plate so you can dip a piece of bread at the end. The fresh eggs give the dish a vivid yellow hue, and the hefty, crisp pieces of guanciale are doled out with precision; it’s said that the chef personally counts the seven pieces allotted to each plate. Suggested wine pairing: Tenute Filippi Ipazia 2022. — Kristina Gill

59 Via Giuseppe Gioachino Belli

Moyer-Nocchi: I was really torn between including [head chef of Ristorante l’Arcangelo] Arcangelo Dandini’s carbonara or Nabil Hadj Hassen’s. When Nabil was the chef at Salumeria Roscioli, he won a national competition, in 2008, for the best carbonara in Rome. He left Roscioli after 18 years and now he’s at Baccano [also in Rome]. It was a close call between Dandini and Hassen. Post-Covid, when everyone was sitting around thinking about what they were going to do with their lives, Arcangelo made adjustments to the cheeses he uses in the dish. He now uses 80 percent Pecorino Romano sourced locally, from a particular milking. And he’s added 20 percent smoked pecorino di Gavoi from Sardinia, which for him recalls the time when smoking was one of the ways of preserving foods. And he uses these eggs — you’re going to have to trust me — these are just outstanding eggs with the creamiest egg yolks ever. He’s a miraculously inventive chef in the way that he pulls history into his modern iterations of dishes.

Corradin: The carbonara is very good at Arcangelo, and it’s in Prati, a nice bourgeois neighborhood that I believe is also home to several kosher restaurants. It isn’t a place for tourists. Well, in Rome tourists are everywhere, but this is a classic location for real Roman families.

5. The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna at Francescana at Maria Luigia

San damaso, emilia-romagna.

Though it’s served with a fork and spoon, it’s hard to keep your hands off the chef Massimo Bottura’s famous recreation of the coveted corner slice of lasagna. The crispy tower begs to be broken apart with your fingers, the rich ragù and aerated béchamel scooped up, nacho-like, from the plate. To make the dish, Bottura boils spaghetti and then purées it to form a dough, which is divided into three parts, each mixed with a different sauce: basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano or tomato. After being rolled out, the pasta sheets are fried, smoked, and, finally, lightly charred with a torch. The result is somehow both familiar and disorienting: “It’s about feeding people with emotions,” Bottura says. Originally, he served his postmodern take on the homey favorite at his Osteria Francescana , which opened in 1995, but these days it’s available only at Francescana at Maria Luigia , one of the restaurants at Casa Maria Luigia, the guesthouse he opened with his wife, Lara Gilmore, in 2019 in San Damaso, just outside the city of Modena. Here, the sole offering is a nine-course tasting menu comprising Bottura’s well-known dishes, served at communal tables facing an open kitchen. Suggested wine pairing: Comte Lafond Sancerre 2022. — Laurel Evans

56 Stradello Bonaghino

Secchi: I’m biased because I worked at Francescana and I know what it takes [to prepare this lasagna]. It takes three or four days to make. That ragù alone isn’t just made with traditional beef: There’s cheek and side, tongue and a special ingredient I can’t name because Massimo [Bottura] would kill me.

Palluda: Especially in the last 15 years, Massimo Bottura never stops talking about his region, Emilia-Romagna. One of the things he always says is to make good food in Italy, you have to stay with your feet on the land and your brain in the clouds. In his dishes with ragù, you can feel this point of view. Like a lot of guys in Emilia, he probably grew up with the smell of [the sauce] in the house. It’s very important that someone as famous as Bottura still talks about his ingredients and his history — it makes the people and the producers of that region really proud of their home.

6. The Culurgiones at Hotel Ristorante Ispinigoli

Dorgali, sardinia.

From April until October, Hotel Ristorante Ispinigoli serves reimagined Sardinian classics overlooking a patchwork of terraced vineyards, olive groves and fruit orchards that descend toward the Gulf of Orosei on the east coast of Italy’s second-largest island. Among the restaurant’s specialties are culurgiones, fresh pasta parcels filled with a blend of potato, cheese, garlic and mint that are pinched closed, the seams resembling ears of wheat. Native to the Ogliastra subregion of Sardinia that’s about a 90-minute drive south, culurgiones have transcended their hyperlocal origins and are now served across the island, though the filling proportions change from cook to cook. At Hotel Ristorante Ispinigoli, the chef Giovanni Cossu, along with the chef Gian Nicola Mula, leads a multigenerational family-run kitchen that plates them in a novel way: They don’t toss and coat their culurgiones with tomato sauce in the rustic fashion but rather crown each with a spoonful, then top with a dusting of pecorino. Suggested wine pairing: Cantina Tani Taerra Vermentino di Gallura 2022. — Katie Parla

125 Strada Statale

Secchi: This restaurant has been in the family for three generations. It’s about an hour and a half from where my family is from and it has one of the best views in Sardinia. One of the chefs [the nephew of the head chef Cossu] used to work at Osteria Francescana [see No. 5]. He’s cooking traditional pasta, but also doing contemporary things because of his time at high-end restaurants on mainland Italy. I thought he’d go chase the stars, but it’s just the opposite — he wanted to bring everything he learned back home.

7. The Mezzanelli Alla Genovese at Coco Loco

Genoa, the city that lends its name to this meaty pasta sauce, is a good 400 miles from Naples, the place best known for it. Every local seems to have a different origin story for the dish, including the tale that credits Swiss mercenaries for bringing this slow-cooked beef and onion sauce to the southern Italian city sometime around 1495. Though it’s commonly ladled onto short cylindrical pasta shapes such as paccheri or rigatoni, at Coco Loco, which opened in the middle of Naples’s historic center in 1995, the chef and owner, Diego Nuzzo, prefers to use mezzanelli, a longer, skinnier version of ziti. He models his Genovese after the recipe used by monzù, private cooks to the city’s aristocracy in the 18th and 19th centuries who applied French culinary techniques to regional ingredients. Like the monzù, Nuzzo braises the beef shank and lots of red onions in lard rather than olive oil, intensifying the flavor of both ingredients. He then adds white wine, a few cubes of pork and simmers the sauce for up to five hours, adding a little tomato paste toward the end “just to give a touch of color.” But the real secret to the dish, he says, is to choose a dried pasta that doesn’t release too much starch (he prefers the Garofalo brand) to keep the sauce from getting too gluey. Suggested wine pairing: Quintodecimo Terra d’Eclano Irpinia Aglianico 2015. — Lee Marshall

4 Vicoletto Cappella Vecchia

Palluda: It’s difficult to explain to people that this is a [Neapolitan] dish and the name Genovese only refers to the people who moved from Genoa to Napoli. In Genoa, you usually get a pesto condimento [sauce]. Here, it’s a lot of meat and the protagonist of this recipe is the onions. You just color the onion with tomatoes.

Corradin: It’s one of the many geographically confusing dishes in Italian cuisine — like zuppa inglese; inglese means “English” and it’s not English at all. And it’s not a soup at all, it’s dessert. [We call them] false friends.

Moyer-Nocchi: It’s a fabulous dish. That five-hour braise renders something that tastes like a sweet, beef-flavored onion butter that loses whatever negative connotations onions have and becomes a larger-than-the-sum-of-its-parts dish. Diego Nuzzo is the most renowned for [pasta alla Genovese] and [he serves it] in a really elegant setting.

Corradin: And unlike most pastas, in Napoli, pasta alla Genovese is served as a main course.

8. The Minestra di Pasta Mista With Shellfish and Rockfish at La Torre del Saracino

Vico equense, campania.

A meal at La Torre del Saracino, in the seaside town of Vico Equense, is something of a ceremony. It begins in a Medieval watchtower overlooking the Bay of Naples where you’re welcomed with an aperitif (a sparkling Franciacorta, for example) and small bites (perhaps a free range-chicken cacciatora panino) while listening to music chosen by guests from the chef Gennaro Esposito’s vinyl collection, with plenty of 20th-century Neapolitan pop and jazz. Then you’re led down a winding stone staircase to a 20-seat main dining room with high arched windows overlooking the sea. The minestra di pasta mista con crostacei e pesci di scoglio, one of Esposito’s signature dishes, is a nod to the fish soup that the 54-year-old chef, a native of Vico Equense, grew up eating. In those days, it was made mostly with the catch that couldn’t be sold at the markets and typically took hours to prepare. Now, at La Torre del Saracino, it’s a symbol of gleeful abundance: Esposito uses more than a pound and a half of Mediterranean rockfish, shrimps, squid and prawns to make one portion. Still one of the more time-consuming dishes in his repertoire, it involves slow-cooking the rockfish in a light fish stock, then squeezing them in a French duck press to retain the juices. Once all the seafood and San Marzano tomatoes are left to simmer on the stove top, for several hours, he adds a mix of as many as 15 different pasta shapes, both tubes and spirals (families traditionally made minestre like this to use up those annoying bottom-of-the-package leftovers). The pasta is left to cook in the soup so that, in Esposito’s words, “it absorbs all its goodness.” Suggested wine pairing: Mastroberardino Stilema Fiano di Avellino 2015. — L.M.

9 Via Torretta

Palluda: Gennaro Esposito is one of the new generation of chefs from Campania, from Napoli. Twenty-five years ago, it wasn’t so easy to introduce new ideas in Campania — it seemed like you were fighting with tradition, but that’s not why he did it. He learned a lot of new techniques in France [and elsewhere] and then used products that were close to him. He made new recipes without losing the identity of the original one. A lot of young chefs followed him. His minestra pasta is a very interesting dish. You mix in a lot of types of pasta. Every spoonful is different. Like chocolate, you never know what you’re going to get. It’s a very rustic dish, but very technical.

9. The Orecchiette With Broccoli at Ricci Osteria

If you find yourself wandering the whitewashed back streets of a Pugliese town, you’ll likely encounter women gathered near the stoops of their houses, forming semolina flour dough into quarter-size orecchiette, which they leave to dry on netted boxes balanced atop wooden stands. Shaped vaguely like an earlobe (the name translates to little ear) orecchiette is often served with ragù or turnip greens, but among the most beloved variations is one made with broccoli. In Milan, some 550 miles to the north of Italy’s heel, the chefs Antonella Ricci and Vinod Sookar have created their own version of the recipe at the Pugliese-inflected mainstay Ricci Osteria, which opened in 2022. Usually, the dish is made by sautéing parboiled broccoli with garlic, anchovies and mildly spicy pepperoncini in extra virgin olive oil; theirs also includes sweet, soft confit tomatoes. The finishing flourish is a generous sprinkling of crunchy toasted bread crumbs, which serve as the ideal foil to the orecchiette’s chewy texture. Suggested wine pairing: a 2020 negroamaro from Agricola Felline. — Laura May Todd

27 Via Pasquale Sottocorno

Moyer-Nocchi.: Antonella Ricci is from Puglia and her husband and partner in the restaurant [Vinod Sookar] is from Mauritius. And together they really represent Milan. [The city] is a micro-melting pot in Italy that since the end of World War II has pulled in a great exodus from the rural south, because that’s where the jobs were, and then later, a great influx of people of Sri Lankan and Indian origin. It’s good to see a person of color in the position of chef as well, because Italy’s restaurants would not go on without this population.

Palluda : It’s a dish made with briciole [breadcrumbs], which is something you usually throw away. They call it the poor man’s Parmesan. And with these scraps, they’ve built this amazing dish.

10. The Paccheri Alla Vittorio at Da Vittorio

Brusaporto, lombardy.

What happens when a restaurant with such fine-dining pedigree takes on pasta with tomato sauce, one of the simplest of all the primi? You get a creamy, almost velvety rendition that’s become the calling card for Da Vittorio, a luxurious fixture of the northern city of Bergamo since 1966. In the early 2000s, Vittorio Cerea and his family, including his son, the current head chef, Enrico “Chicco” Cerea, moved the restaurant from the historic core of the city to a villa surrounded by parkland, less than five miles outside of town. From there, Enrico expanded the menu, offering innovative dishes like scampi with fermented miso and tempura sardines with a lemon sauce. But diners who come from Milan — about 30 miles to the southwest — and much farther (there’s a heliport and a hotel on the property) often have just one item on their mind: the paccheri alla Vittorio. A cork-size tubular pasta, paccheri are served here slightly al dente and swimming in a sauce made with three types of tomatoes, basil, olive oil and sautéed garlic, thickened at the end with butter and Parmesan. The dish, offered as part of an eight-course tasting menu, also comes with a bib — you’re invited to mop up the sauce with freshly baked farro bread. Suggested wine pairing: Vie di Romans Chardonnay 2020. — Eric Sylvers

17 Via Cantalupa

Palluda: It’s cooked like risotto, meaning that you cook it for just 80 percent of the time in the water, and then you finish the dish directly in the [sauce], and they do that at the table in front of the people.

Secchi: [They serve] it convivio, family-style, which is a beautiful way to do it.

Moyer-Nocchi: What makes the dish so worthy of this list is the sauce. My advice: Opt for the bib.

11. The Pasta con le Sarde at Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo

Palermo, sicily.

When your massive portion of pasta con le sarde at Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo in Palermo is set in front of you, your first thought is likely, “What is this mess of gloopy spaghetti covered with greenish-brown sauce?” But it’s precisely the dish’s aggressively ugly appearance that makes the first bite — and smell — so surprising. The rustic recipe is full of all the contradictions and complexities inherent to Sicilian cooking: High-end ingredients like plump sweet raisins and resinous pine nuts mix with sardines, the poorest of fish, barely boned, to form more of a stew than a pasta sauce; it’s also redolent of wild fennel. The warm, chaotic Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo, which opened in 1944 and is in the heart of the old city, doesn’t take reservations, but with the two big rooms inside, and the large covered terrace outside, you’ll rarely have to wait long. Suggested wine pairing: Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali Bianco 2022. — Elizabeth Minchilli

20 Via Venezia

Moyer-Nocchi: Pasta con le sarde doesn’t get as much attention as it should. Ferro di Cavallo puts a lot of care into it. They have an investment in the tradition of this dish. It’s a very colorful, classic trattoria.

12. The Pizzoccheri at Ristorante Quattro Stagioni

Mantello, lombardy.

Some pasta dishes demand you put aside restraint. Pizzoccheri certainly qualify — the fettuccine-like buckwheat pasta is typically tossed together with copious amounts of Valtellina Casera cheese and butter, potatoes and a vegetable (usually cabbage). Said to be born at least 200 years ago at the foot of the Alps in Valtellina — a valley that runs east from the northern shores of Lake Como — the hearty dish is still the perfect thing to eat at Quattro Stagioni, with its exposed beams, simple wooden chairs and stone fountain in the middle of the main dining room. The restaurant is part of the La Fiorida agriturismo, a working farm that doubles as a country inn, with 29 guest rooms, some 500 animals (mainly cows, goats and sheep), a cheese-making facility and 150 acres of cultivated fields. While the buckwheat is sourced from a nearby farm, nearly everything else used in the pizzoccheri comes from on site. This means that, depending on the time of year, you might find spinach or Swiss chard in your pizzoccheri. “There is no exact recipe because it’s always changing,” says the head chef, Gianni Tarabini. Suggested wine pairing: Nino Negri Inferno Valtellina Superiore 2019. — E.S.

12 Via Lungo Adda

Moyer-Nocchi: Very few pasta dishes use non-wheat flours but the pizzoccheri of Valtellina, made with mostly buckwheat, has been awarded European Union P.G.I. [Protected Geographical Indication] certification, bringing it into the panoply of Italy’s most highly valued traditional dishes. It’s a deeply comforting pasta.

Davies: I love pizzoccheri.

Palluda: I just don’t know if American people know about pizzoccheri.

Davies: Maybe that’s why it should be on the list.

Moyer-Nocchi: La Fiorida makes an excellent pizzoccheri, and it’s a beautiful agriturismo. Very small, local everything.

13. The Rasnal Soup at Maggese

San miniato, tuscany.

The faded grocery store sign still hangs above the door of Maggese in the ancient Tuscan hill town of San Miniato. Step into the small retro-modern interior, glance to the right and there, behind a two-seater counter, you’ll usually find Fabrizio Marino, fielding orders and greeting clients. Opening a vegetarian restaurant in meat-oriented Tuscany back in 2019 was a risk, Marino admits. But he needn’t have worried: Maggese books out days in advance. Rasnal — which he says means “of the Etruscans” — is a soup that’s been a fixture on the Maggese menu from the beginning. It pairs slow-braised seasonal vegetables — some foraged, some cultivated — like wild asparagus and artichoke with a sauce of local red heirloom beans. The dish’s pasta component consists of just four simple, bite-size eggless-pasta parcels made from heirloom flour. Their fillings can change with the seasons — they might be celeriac or chickpeas, pumpkin or carrot — but they always deliver a sweet note to balance the broth’s bitterness. Suggested wine pairing: Il Borghetto Montigiano Sangiovese 2019. — L.M.

29 Via IV Novembre

Davies : I love everything that they do at this restaurant. It’s in my town, San Miniato. We’re in the middle of a place that is very, very well known for red meat. They used to have seven butcher shops in this small town.

Palluda: They eat the vegans there.

Davies: When Maggese opened, it was like this breath of fresh air because everything they do is vegetarian. The owner and head chef [Marino] is from a nearby town and there are a few Japanese chefs [in his kitchen], and they often use ingredients like miso within their dishes. Not in a really obvious way; you just get this little kick of umami. This minestra [reminds me] of pasta e fagioli. When it arrives at the table, the pasta and the soup are separate so you can tip the pasta into the soup or you can eat them separately. It’s a joy.

14. The Ravioli With Ricotta, Walnuts and Burnt Garlic at Oasis Sapori Antichi

Vallesaccarda, campania.

Since the day it opened in 1988, Oasis Sapori Antichi, in the rural town of Vallesaccarda, a two-hour drive east of the Amalfi Coast, has had ravioli with ricotta, walnuts and burnt garlic on the menu. It’s a dish of happenstance: Founder Giuseppina Fischetti neglected a pan on the stovetop and a sauce was born. This could so easily be another accidental origin story, charming but entirely forgettable; but, more than three decades later, it’s become the cornerstone of an exceptional kitchen. Now in the hands of Giuseppina’s five children and grandchildren (both in the kitchen and front of house), Oasis Sapori Antichi focuses primarily on the ingredients grown just outside town, in the territory of Irpinia with its great natural resources. The garlic used in their sauce — toasted, rather than burnt, until it has a savory toffee-like flavor — is blended with the area’s malizia walnuts and olive oil produced by the Fischetti family less than a mile from the front door. The ravioli is also made daily and filled with local cow’s milk ricotta and flecks of minced parsley. The restaurant itself looks like a slightly theatrical living room, with its scattering of Persian rugs and tall candlesticks. But while the service is formal and elegant, the family’s natural ease warms the room. Suggested wine pairing: Boccella Rosa Taurasi Aglianico 2015. — Rachel Roddy

8/10 Via Provinciale

Corradin: The garlic tastes more smoky than burnt. I first had it 14 years ago, and I spent part of my life thinking about when I could go back. I’ve been back several times since.

Palluda: No one has said that to me in my life.

Corradin: The dream of each and every chef.

15. The Spaghetti all’Assassina at Al Sorso Preferito

Bari, puglia.

A few years ago, if you had asked anyone outside of Bari about spaghetti all’Assassina they’d have given you a blank stare. The dish was so specific to the capital of Puglia that only one or two restaurants served it. The method, which was handed down to Pierino Lonigro, the owner of the town’s Al Sorso Preferito, by the supposed inventor of this dish, in the 1960s, involves cooking the spaghetti into a tomato sauce filled with pepperoncini until the mixture forms a crust that’s spicy and slightly crispy. It’s a difficult technique to get right, but Lonigro credits his well-seasoned cast-iron pan that he’s been using for decades. He bought the restaurant in 1974; that same year, he moved it to its current location in the elegant Murat neighborhood. Most locals start with the mixed antipasto, an array of raw and cooked seafood, before having the Assassina. Legend has it that the name of this dish came from the fact that the spiciness of the sauce almost killed customers, though Lonigro’s version, a nice balance of sweetness and mild heat, presents very little danger. Suggested wine pairing: Paololeo Alture Susumaniello 2020. — E.M.

40 Via Vito Nicola De Nicolò

Moyer-Nocchi: While the concept is easy enough, it takes an experienced hand to produce the desired effect: crispy, fiery spaghetti. Al Sorso Preferito may be an unassuming, few-frills restaurant, but it’s the mecca for this dish.

16. The Spaghettone all’Amatriciana at Santo Palato

When you order spaghettone all’amatriciana at Santo Palato near the Basilica di San Giovanni in Rome, the servers tell you that it will take at least 15 minutes. This is both a courtesy and reassurance that the thick spaghetti will be boiled to order, not always the case in a city where, more often than you might imagine, the reliance on precooked pasta keeps service swift, but means the dishes can often lack texture. Santo Palato is a small trattoria, simply furnished and decorated with Futurist-style posters, the daily specials chalked-up on a blackboard. The chef and owner, Sarah Cicolini, sources the spaghettone from a Roman pasta maker called Pastificio Lagano, and the jarred cherry tomatoes from Agricola Paglione, a farm in Puglia. The pigs’ cheek guanciale and the sheep’s milk Pecorino Romano cheese she chooses are also from small producers. One of the four canonical Roman pasta dishes, amatriciana is the sum of these four parts, which Cicolini — often visible through an opening into the kitchen — brings together expertly. Suggested wine pairing: Cantina Ribelà Saittole 2020. — R.R.

4 A/B Piazza Tarquinia

Secchi: When I first went there, about seven years ago, Sarah was one of the very few women in this new avant-garde of Roman chefs, and she was cooking offal, which had always been butch men territory.

Moyer-Nocchi: Santo Palato is a seamless combination of an old trattoria and modern design and it reflects Sarah’s approach to the way she reconceptualizes traditional Roman food.

Secchi: She cooks all the four classic Roman pastas and she does it damn well.

17. The Squash Tortelli at Dal Pescatore Santini

Runate, lombardy.

Tortelli di zucca, a winter squash stuffed pasta, is made a little differently throughout Lombardy but perfected at Dal Pescatore, outside of Mantova (the dish’s supposed birthplace), in the village of Runate. Much can go wrong with this seasonal pasta (at its best in autumn), from the inclusion of amaretti cookies at some places to the addition of strange, mustardy candied fruits at others; it can be too sweet, too spicy, too sour or otherwise unbalanced. Perhaps worst of all, the dish can be oversauced, with a creamy topping drowning out the flavor and texture of the pasta. But at Dal Pescatore, the chefs Nadia and Giovanni Santini have made tortelli the centerpiece: from the slight bite of the outer rim to the tender interior that encloses the filling. The five pieces they provide — which aren’t so much coated with as touched by butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano — are just enough. Suggested wine pairing: Ca’ del Bosco Annamaria Clementi Franciacorta 2015. — Andrew Sean Greer

15 Riserva del Parco Oglio Sud

Secchi: It’s in the middle of nowhere, but they have a helicopter pad there, so people from Milano fly in and have dinner. That place is an institution.

Corradin: The first time I went to Dal Pescatore, Nadia realized I was sick and she cooked me tortellini en brodo [tortellini in broth]; after that, I could’ve eaten a 25-course meal. But I agree with Stefano that the iconic dish there is tortelli di zucca.

18. The Strangozzi at Enoteca L’Alchimista

Montefalco, umbria.

At first glance, strangozzi looks like spaghetti. But unlike that more ubiquitous pasta, which tends to originate in factories, the slightly chubbier strangozzi are hand-rolled, hand-pulled and mostly found in central Italy. At L’Alchimista, established in 2001 in the medieval Umbrian hill town of Montefalco, the chef and co-owner Patrizia Moretti makes it the old-fashioned way: with just water and extra-fine “00” wheat flour, which makes them pleasantly chewy. Go in the warm weather and you’ll likely be seated at an outdoor table in what might be one of Italy’s prettiest piazzas. This, too, is the time of year Moretti serves the pasta with tender greens foraged from nearby fields or with a pesto, made from two of the greens and wild garlic. If you come in summer, you might find your plate of strangozzi tossed with zucchini and in fall, topped with black truffles. Suggested wine pairing: a young trebbiano Spoletino from Tenuta Bellafonte. — E.M.

14 Piazza del Comune

Davies: When I was last there, there was a strangozzi with wild herbs — [ones] no one will have ever heard of that you collect in the Umbrian countryside. It’s just a very simple dish but it’s special . One is called strigoli and another is vitalba, whose English names are not very appetizing (bladder campion and old man’s beard). They’re herbs that need to be picked young and have been foraged for centuries — it’s a really ancient sort of dish.

19. The Tagliolino Cacio e Burro at Cibrèo Caffè

Cibrèo Caffè, the more informal outpost of a small, influential group of restaurants near Mercato Sant’Ambrogio (the locals’ preferred traditional food market), opened in 1983, and it’s still one of Florence’s most inviting places to stop in for a negroni and a snack (say, a pizzetta). But those in the know head straight for the cacio e burro. Here, the ultimate comfort food — pasta doused in melted butter and cheese — is approached with the same earnestness you might expect of fussier fare: Butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano and hot milk are blended together with enough force that it forms a paste, which melts into a cream on contact with the hot pasta — at Cibrèo, it’s tagliolini, the narrower, more delicate sibling of tagliatelle. Its yolk-yellow color, and faint sweetness, comes from the unlikely addition of boiled carrots into the purée. Suggested wine pairing: Podere Erica l’Erica Rosé Sangiovese 2022‌. — M.O.

5r Via Andrea del Verrocchio

Corradin: If we mention Cibrèo, we have to mention the tagliolino cacio e burro.

Secchi: Oh, I agree.

Emiko Davies: Cibrèo is my go-to restaurant in Florence. My husband worked there, as the head sommelier, but he doesn’t anymore. The cacio e burro is still one of my favorite dishes there. Fabio Picchi [the founder of Cibrèo who died in 2022] cheekily called it “rubato,” stolen, because it’s a revisitation of another iconic Florentine dish, the taglierini gratinati from Harry’s Bar, a favorite since the 1950s.

20. The Tagliolini With Lobster at Ristorante Cecio

Corniglia, liguria.

Set atop a steep hill on a particularly dramatic stretch of Italian coastline, Corniglia is considered the quietest of the touristy Cinque Terre villages. When you finally reach town, after climbing a 382-step brick stairway up a rocky cliff from the train station (or taking the shuttle bus), you’ll be ready for a large plate of pasta. Ristorante Cecio in Corniglia — which has been family owned and operated since 1976 — is the place to find it. The menu revolves around local seafood that’s sourced daily and pasta dishes by the head chef, Gabriele Pittavini, who’s honed his craft over the 20 years he spent operating a fresh pasta shop. One favorite is the tagliolini all’astice, a thin, homemade egg pasta with lobster, available for a minimum of two people. At first glance, it’s a flamboyant dish: a cherry-red claw reaches straight up from the ribbons of pasta, adorned with fat morsels of pink meat and a sprinkling of parsley. Half a lobster fills one side of the plate. Upon tasting it, however, you’ll find it showcases the fresh ingredients without overembellishing them. Be sure to reserve a table outside: The view from the veranda alone justifies a visit. Suggested wine pairing: Cinque Terre DOC 2023. — L.E.

58 Via Serra

Davies: I’ve been going here with my family for well over a decade — we love the Cinque Terre but it’s changed a lot and this trattoria has always stayed the same. The seafood is incredibly fresh. There’s nothing like a summertime dinner there.

21. The Tajarin al Ragù at Osteria da Gemma

Roddino, piedmont.

Gemma Boeri has been hand-rolling and cutting tajarin pasta for the locals in Roddino, a small town in southern Piedmont, for almost four decades. “Why would I stop? This is what I know how to do,” she says. The large glass window connecting the dining area of her hilltop trattoria with the prep room affords a view of Boeri and her helpers preparing the long, skinny strands of egg pasta (similar to spaghetti but with a golden hue), while the outside-facing windows overlook the Langhe hills known for producing quality food and wine, including Barolo. Boeri serves the tajarin (the Piedmontese word for tagliolini, a thinner version of tagliatelle) with a thick beef ragù sauce, which she says has won over diners because it reminds them of the comfort food they enjoyed when they were kids. “There’s no secret, I just prepare the food like nonna used to,” she says. It can take several months to get a reservation. Yet da Gemma has nonetheless remained relaxed and unpretentious: its walls lined with photos dating back to when Boeri first started serving customers in 1986. She serves only a single fixed menu that, in addition to the tajarin, includes Piedmontese classics, such as beef tartare and agnolotti del plin, the area’s signature stuffed pasta (see No. 1). Suggested wine pairing: Agricola Gianpiero Marrone La Pantalera Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2020. — E.S.

6 Via Guglielmo Marconi

Palluda: Every month I go see Gemma just to kiss her hand. It’s true, I’m not joking. She’s our pope.

Secchi: Her place is in the mountains. It’s very hard to get to, and it’s very blue-collar. When you sit down to eat, everything is served family-style, and the amount of food that comes to your table is … I mean, completely unnecessary. Gemma is like the original nonna. A few times a week, all the nonnas in the village come to roll pasta with her, and then they all sit down together for lunch. How does that tradition carry on when her time passes? There’s got to be a way.

22. The Tortelloni With Ricotta, Parmesan and Butter at Hosteria Giusti

Modena, emilia-romagna.

Salumeria Giusti , in operation since at least 1605, is reported to be the world’s oldest delicatessen, but that’s not its only claim to fame. Beyond the antique wood and marble counter a hallway leads to a tiny dining room with only four tables. Reservations here are among Modena’s most coveted, especially after the restaurant, a favorite of locals for decades, was featured on the Netflix series “Master of None” in 2017. Daniele Morandi, whose grandparents opened Hosteria in 1989, is in charge of the pasta making. He rolls out each sheet of dough by hand with a long wooden pin and shapes every raviolo and tortellino with skill and speed he learned from his grandmother. Among his most popular offerings are tortelloni — pillowy larger versions of typical Modenese tortellini — filled with a mix of local ricotta, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, spinach and freshly grated nutmeg. Bathed in an emulsion of pasta water and unpasteurized French butter, the dish is a study in simplicity. (Lunch only, though dinner can be prearranged for groups of 12 or more.) Suggested wine pairing: Corte d’Aibo Spungola Sauvignon Blanc 2022. — L.E.

75 Via Luigi Carlo Farini

Secchi: I worked there when I first moved to Modena, but only after I went to 30 different places to taste fresh pasta. In terms of technique and ambience, Giusti blew my mind. And that tortelloni? I think the ricotta is still warm when it’s delivered to the kitchen. It just disintegrates in your mouth.

23. The Traditional Lasagna at Al Cambio

Bologna, emilia-romagna.

In a bland, busy neighborhood not far from Bologna’s exhibition center, Al Cambio has been drawing a business crowd during weekday lunches and couples and families for dinner and on weekends for the past three decades. After booking weeks in advance, they file into the spare, white and beige dining room, debate the offerings on the extensive wine list (dominated by varieties from the Emilia-Romagna region) and settle in for a long lunch or dinner of local specialties, from breaded veal cutlets and mortadella to sformatino (a type of potato soufflé). But the most ordered — and scrutinized — dish is the one that bears the city’s name: lasagna alla Bolognese. Like most places in town, Al Cambio offers a seven-layer lasagna made with jade-green spinach noodles sandwiched between coats of béchamel and ragù. But Al Cambio’s ragù is meatier than most, made with beef minced together with prosciutto and pork sausage, and then topped with a thick layer of the ragù, the “final flourish,” as the manager Piero Pompili says: “It’s our way of symbolizing Bologna’s food heritage.” Suggested wine pairing: San Patrignano Avi Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Riserva 2019. — Vicky Bennison

150 Via Stalingrado

Stefano Secchi: People are going to have a lot of opinions about where to find the best [lasagna alla Bolognese in Bologna], but for me, this is it. It has the perfect amount of crispness and gooeyness.

24. The Trofie With Pesto at Antica Osteria di Vico Palla

Pesto alla Genovese — the pungent bright green sauce made from basil, extra-virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, pine nuts, garlic and salt — can be tossed with almost any shape of pasta, from spaghetti to fusilli. Its most authentic pairing, however, is trofie, a short, hand-twisted noodle typical of Recco , just down the coast from Genoa. It’s here that the most commonly known pesto originated (what’s thought to be the earliest printed recipe appeared in the 1863 book “La Cuciniera Genovese”), and at Antica Osteria di Vico Palla the dish is served at its most elemental. The rustic restaurant — where patrons sit at simple wooden tables laid with brown paper place mats under vaulted brick ceilings that date back to the 1500s — serves its trofie pesto mixed with boiled potatoes and green beans, as local families have for generations. The menu changes daily; ask for this dish if you don’t see it. Suggested wine pairing: a young vermentino di Albenga from the Ligurian coast. — Marianna Cerini

15/r Vico Palla

Palluda: You can’t have a list of Italian dishes without pesto. It’s the most popular condimento in the world. It’s very light, it’s modern, and it’s easy to make. If you want to blend it, instead of making it with a mortar, and you want to make a good, lively pesto, you really should have cold ingredients.

Corradin : In Genoa, poor people added potatoes and green beans to their pasta with pesto to make it a piatto unico, richer in nutrients but still affordable. [It’s common] to eat it scarpetta, the Italian ritual of scraping up the remaining sauce with bread. But here you use potatoes instead of bread. The beauty of this kind of dish and this kind of trattoria is that they’re both reminders that, in Italy, you don’t have to be rich to enjoy a good meal.

25. The Vincisgrassi at Osteria Dei Fiori

Macerata, marche.

Tourists tend to flock to Macerata, a small hilltop city in the eastern part of the Marche region, for two reasons: The summer opera festival and the decidedly unsummery seven-layer baked pasta dish known as vincisgrassi. Letizia Carducci, one of the three siblings who have been running the 30-seat Osteria Dei Fiori, which opened in 1980 on a cobblestone street close to the main square, says the dish evolved from princisgras, a pasta casserole made with black truffles and prosciutto that was served to the local nobility in the 18th century. In the Marcerate province, resourceful housewives made a ragù using meat from various farmyard animals, including bones and offal; that’s the recipe that Iginia and her brother, Paolo (they cook; their sister Letizia is the maitre’d), have built on to make their vincisgrassi, which consists of duck, chicken, rabbit and a little pork. Dessert wine, vino cotto, also plays a key role: It’s added to the dough that the Carduccis knead into silk-thin pasta sheets, then used to saute the chicken and duck livers, which are stirred into the sauce at the very end. The meaty ragù covers the four bottom layers, while the top one is reserved for the nutmeg-inflected béchamel sauce. Baked in an oven, the whole thing is both earthy and luxurious, with subtle hints of smoke. Suggested wine pairing: Gàjole Verdicchio di Matelica 2021. — V.B.

61 Via Lauro Rossi

Secchi: What is vincisgrassi? I’ve never had it.

Corradin: It’s Macerata’s ancestral lasagna. One story says that it’s named for an Austrian officer named Windisch-Graetz who was stationed in Macerata province around the early 1800s.

Moyer-Nocchi: Lasagna has become a specific dish, associated with a specific place. The Maceratese prefer not to call their dish a lasagna, even though it, too, is a rich, layered pasta dish.

Palluda: When these dishes were born, there were no computers [people didn’t sit all day] and no radiators. They stayed warm with a fire, but with the food also. They expended calories to stay warm. People ate just one meal every day.

Moyer-Nocchi: Historically, you’d only eat these things once or twice a year. It’s not like you’d be picking these dishes off a menu every day. In the meantime, you’d be eating much more frugally: cabbage, beans, leafy greens.

Palluda: Somebody said to me, “Why don’t you make some of these traditional pastas lighter?” But that’s not the right way to respect the dishes. We can make the portions smaller, but you need to keep the flavor.

Photo editor: Lauren Poggi

Research editor: Alexis Sottile

Copy editor: Magnus Schaefer

An earlier version of this article misidentified the restaurant where Nabil Hadj Hassen was the chef in 2008; it was Salumeria Roscioli, not Antico Forno Roscioli.

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