Best places to visit in Italy in 2018: the top 5 cities

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«Today we delight you with the best places to visit in Italy this year. Five destinations, five cities to visit, between culture, events and gastronomy that couldn’t be any more Italian»

It’s an even year, Saturn is no longer in opposition (at least to my sign, I do not know about yours), the weather is great, I would say that there are all the elements to start making premature programs on the best places to visit in Italy in 2018. Without offending every Italian city, each worthy of a visit at least once in your life, this year there are five winning destinations – from north to south – that have already started to attract attention for a while, with events, awards, small records or simply because, cyclically, someone reminds us that they are beautiful and wonderful. We are lucky to have them at our fingertips. So, take note, thank you.

Palermo

For those few hermits who had not yet heard of it, Palermo is the Capital of Culture 2018 (we talked about it here) and, consequently, receives the gold medal in our top 5 cities to visit in Italy this year: what is it happening in the city? Meanwhile, Palermo is not only the Capital of Culture but also of the Youths and – most of all – it’s the headquarters of Manifesta 12, the European traveling biennial of contemporary art, which has been, since the 90s, the reference point for enthusiasts and professionals. For Leoluca Orlando, Mayor of the city, being the Capital of Culture and hosting Manifesta is the springboard for rebirth, a solid base from which to look to the future. Palermo won the 2018 title by presenting the project to create a territory portal that integrates the natural, artistic, enogastronomic and cultural heritage, with timetables and access to monuments, theaters, cultural and sporting structures of the territory; moreover, the sharing of the library heritage of the metropolitan area is foreseen, which can be booked and consulted. I won’t even dwell on how beautiful Palermo is and on how much it is humanly possible to eat in Sicily: I direct you to here just to get you hungry. It goes without saying that Palermo is by far one of the best places to visit in Italy in 2018.

Naples

The proverb “see Naples and then die” has its charm, true, but the truth is that in Naples you have to go there, and then come back, and then return, and so on, so try to stay alive because it is absolutely one of the cities to visit in Italy in 2018. In the meantime, to get rid of prejudices – if you’ve never been there – Naples at the moment is cleaner than Rome and culturally attractive as Milan (and moreover, the real pizza is there). It’s enough to say that the MANN (National Archaeological Museum of Naples) was elected best museum 2017 by Art Tribune and was one of the most visited museums during the last year (second only to the Colosseum) making 500 thousand visitors register, dubbing the figure of ‘last year. Of the MADRE (Museum of Contemporary Art Donna Regina) we have already spoken here, when we have included it in the list of the most innovative museums in Italy. With its endless list of things to do and see, Naples remains one of the most loved Italian cities in the world. 2 down, 3 to go:

I have already given you two of the best places to visit in Italy. We have 3 to go, so let’s move on to the next.

Turin

Since we are lovers of competitions and in 2017 too much has been said about the great Milan, (to which all the honors have to be paid for demonstrating how to really push the foot on the accelerator), insert the dear Turin between the cities to visit in Italy in 2018. You can also hate Juventus to death, but you will never be angry with Turin, which under its famous blanket of understatement, hides a creative soul in turmoil. From the Egyptian Museum to the Duomo, from the Mole Antoneliana to the Royal Palace, from the Automobile Museum to the Fondazione Sandretto, Turin swarms with art: a special consideration, if I were you, I would reserve it for the Giovanni and Marella Agnelli Picture Gallery, a small paradise suspended on the roof of the Lingotto (home of the first FIAT factory): designed by Renzo Piano, it houses 25 masterpieces from the private lawyer’s collection, we’re talking Matisse, Modigliani, Balla. A nice bicerin coffee (coffee – chocolate – milk cream) and you’re ready for Turin. Here you can find the list of 2018 events, made available by the Municipality.

Go and visit the city and you will understand why it is one of the best places to visit in Italy.

Venice

The one and only. Of course, it is the most inflated in Italy, along with Rome and Florence, but it is also the only place in the world where humidity will never have looked so beautiful. On top of that, this year there is the 2018 Biennale, which opens with the International Architecture Exhibition in May, to continue with Dance (June), Music (September) and Cinema (end of August) and you will get an excellent excuse to go, or return, in one of the cities to visit in Italy in 2018. A place where it is always worth a visit is the Peggy Gugghenheim Collection Museum, in the marvelous architecture of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni: the best thing that can happen is to have a nice episode of Stendhal’s syndrome in front of Alchimia by Pollock, as it happened to me.

I dare you to find one person who would not agree with the fact that Venice is by far one of best places to visit in Italy.

Parma

Beautiful, on a human scale, homeland to unbelievable food and wine specialties, Parma is among the cities to visit in Italy in 2018: it is the pearl of the Emilia region. Get on a bike and explore it corner by corner, starting from the Glauco Lombardi Museum, a treasure of the Bourbon and Ludovician Parma. The city is not very big, true, but do not eat it too quickly: enjoy it, starting from the famous Piazza del Duomo, certainly one of the most beautiful squares in the world. At Palazzo Pilotta there are Leonardo Da Vinci, Tintoretto, Guercino, Beato Angelico, just to give you an example. The Farnese Theater is one of the best known for its technique of implantation, with the mobile scene, the possibility to drop the characters from above and the scenic flooding of the cavea. Two interesting stories are related to Correggio and Parmigianino, the first has touched the peak of his career painting the dome of the Duomo, the second went literally crazy, looking for absolute perfection while he frescoed the Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata. Tortelli at lunch, stracotto with meat at dinner, you will not need anything else.

You have 5 of the best places to visit in Italy, which means you are spoiled for choice. Pick one (or all of them!) and let yourself be enchanted by their beauty.

Carolina Attanasio

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