Rome. Florence. Venice.
They’re extraordinary for a reason. But some of our favorite days in Italy have happened somewhere else entirely.
Eating our way through Bologna. Discovering the food heritage of Parma. Wandering hilltop Perugia and Cortona. Driving through Tuscany wine country. Spending a day surrounded by Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
Over several trips, these stops have become some of the Italy experiences we remember most.
We’ve already created complete Pure Life Podcast itineraries and guides for each. So here’s the short version:
Italy one day at a time: Eight places worth your time and why you might want to add one to your next trip.
Quick Picks (If You Want the Short Answer)
- Best for serious food lovers: Bologna
- Best for Italian food heritage: Parma
- Best for art, history & Umbria: Perugia
- Best for a classic Tuscany day trip: Cortona
- Best for an iconic first-time stop: Pisa
- Best for cars + food: Modena
- Best for wine & countryside: Tuscany wine country
- Best for an elegant Northern Italy city day: Turin
Table of Contents
BOLOGNA
For Italy’s most delicious city day
Best For: FOOD • PORTICOES • EASY CITY DAY
If food is part of the reason you travel to Italy, Bologna belongs on the list.
This is the home of mortadella, tortellini and tagliatelle al ragù—but the city is just as memorable. Beautiful porticoes lead to medieval towers, grand piazzas and the food stalls and shops of the Quadrilatero.
Come for lunch.
You may find yourself wishing you had booked dinner, too.
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PARMA
For the food traditions that made this corner of Italy famous
Best For: PARMIGIANO REGGIANO • PROSCIUTTO • FOOD HERITAGE
Parmigiano Reggiano. Prosciutto di Parma. Two of Italy’s great culinary traditions come from here.
But Parma itself surprised us. Beyond the food are beautiful streets, the Romanesque cathedral and Baptistery, Teatro Farnese and an elegant historic center that makes you wonder why more travelers don’t stay awhile.
For food lovers, this one is easy.
PERUGIA
For a beautiful introduction to Umbria
BEST FOR: UMBRIA • HISTORY • ART • CHOCOLATE
Perugia rises above the Umbrian countryside in a tangle of stone lanes, arches, stairways and medieval buildings. Beneath it all is an even older Etruscan city.
It’s historic without feeling like an open-air museum. Beautiful without needing to announce itself.
And yes, Perugia is also one of Italy’s great chocolate cities.
Tuscany gets considerably more attention. Perugia gives you a very good reason to look next door.
CORTONA
For the Tuscany you came hoping to find
BEST FOR: TUSCANY • VIEWS • FOOD • HILL-TOWN CHARM
Stone buildings. Narrow lanes. Piazza cafés. Terracotta rooftops. Tuscan countryside stretching into the distance.
Cortona looks a little like the Italy people imagine before they arrive. It’s small enough to enjoy without turning the day into a checklist—and beautiful enough that you won’t mind getting slightly lost.
We also stayed nearby at Il Falconiere, one of those Tuscany stays that makes leaving particularly difficult. Cortona doesn’t need a packed itinerary.
That’s part of its charm.
PISA
For seeing an Italian icon for yourself
BEST FOR: ICONIC ITALY • ARCHITECTURE • EASY DAY TRIP
Of course you want to see the Leaning Tower. We did too.
But Pisa is more than the tower. The Cathedral and Baptistery make Piazza dei Miracoli one of Italy’s great architectural spaces, while the historic streets and Arno give you somewhere to go once you’ve taken the photograph.
Iconic? Absolutely.
Still worth seeing for yourself? We think so.
MODENA
For the day Italy trades Renaissance masterpieces for supercars
BEST FOR: FERRARI • LAMBORGHINI • FOOD • SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Italy does beautiful churches extremely well. It also does 800-horsepower supercars.
Around Modena, Ferrari and Lamborghini are part of Italy’s Motor Valley—a world of extraordinary engineering, design and racing history. We’ve visited both museums, and this remains one of the most different days we’ve spent in Italy.
The bonus? You’re still in Emilia-Romagna.
Supercars followed by a very good Italian lunch sounds just about right to us.
TUSCANY WINE COUNTRY
For a day when the drive is part of the experience
BEST FOR: WINE • COUNTRYSIDE • LONG LUNCHES • BEAUTIFUL DRIVES
There are days in Italy when the journey is the itinerary. Tuscany wine country is one of them.
Drive through vineyards and hill towns. Visit an estate. Taste the wine where it’s made. Have lunch somewhere you wish were closer to home.
We’ve visited wineries across Tuscany, including around Chianti and Montepulciano, and these are the days that make us appreciate having a car in Italy.
The scenery is beautiful. The wine helps.
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TURIN
For an elegant northern city that deserves more attention
BEST FOR: PIEDMONT • ARCHITECTURE • CAFÉS • CHOCOLATE
Turin feels different.
Grand boulevards. Baroque palaces. Historic cafés. Chocolate. Vermouth. The Alps on the horizon. It’s sophisticated without the crowds of Italy’s most famous cities and full of places that make coffee, lunch or aperitivo feel like part of the sightseeing.
Turin was one of those cities we were curious about before visiting.
We liked it even more once we got there.
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That’s Italy one day at a time. But before you go, here’s a first look at what we’ve been working on next.
COMING SOON FROM PURE LIFE PODCAST
THE REAL JAPAN COLLECTION: TOHOKU
Planning Japan next?
We’re getting ready to launch our first Real Japan Collection digital travel guide – a 12 day self-drive journey through Tohoku, northern Honshu.
Ryokan and onsen stays. Regional food. Scenic drives. Cultural experiences. And the practical details that bring the journey together.
12 DAYS • TOHOKU • RYOKAN • ONSEN • FOOD • SCENIC ROAD TRIP
Want to know when it launches?
Join the Pure Life Podcast email list and we’ll let you know when The Real Japan Collection: Tohoku is available.
Every Journey, Once in a Lifetime.
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