The curious traveler’s guide to visiting Italy in the springtime

by | 11 Oct 2022

If you are yearning for “la dolce vita”, then we highly recommend you visit Italy in the springtime. With pleasant temperatures and magical blooms, explore the great sights and countryside at your own pace with less crowds.

Just picture yourself strolling through vineyards, sampling delicious seasonal cuisine and sipping fine wine as the lands spring to life around you.

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A PLEASANT TIME OF YEAR

Italy in spring is a marvel of color and delight. The Wisteria and magnolia trees are all bursting back to life. Their pastel colors contrasting against sunny blue skies and rust-red buildings. Springtime in Italy inspires long lunches and countryside afternoons, perfect for romantics and wanderers, or anyone looking to enjoy the renewal of nature

SPACE TO VISIT GREAT PLACES

With less crowds, spring is the perfect time to discover the world-renowned museums, galleries and architecture of Italy’s great cities. Travel with Insight and get even more from your visit, with Local Expert guides and exclusive access.

In Rome, explore the magnificent Vatican Museums, admiring many great works including Michelangelo’s pieta and Raphael’s School of Athens. Other museums all art and history lovers must explore in the Eternal City include the Terme di Diocleziano and the Capitoline Museums.

If you visit Italy, a trip to the world-renowned Uffizi Gallery in Florence is a must. Home to works by great Italian artists such as Giotto, Cimabue, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raffaello, including the Birth of Venus by Botticelli. The Galleria dell’Accademia, is without a doubt most famous for its sculptures by the great Renaissance artist Michaelangelo, including “David”. Take your time here without the crowds as you explore with a Local Expert.

Spring is the perfect time to lose yourself in the back lanes and quiet squares of Venice, where tourists seldom tread, and the Venetians go about their daily lives. Enjoy the extra space and quiet and visit some of the 90 churches housing masterpieces of Venetian art. Or take time to explore the modern artworks in the Guggenheim.

Discover this on: Best of Italy, Italian Intermezzo, Easy Pace Italy

Read more: 7 ways Insight brings the world’s iconic travel experiences to life

A COUNTRY BURSTING TO LIFE

Blooming flowers, amazing views, if there was ever a reason to visit Italy in spring then this is it. With the countryside, towns and villages bursting with color, enjoy the flora and fauna with a spring in your step.

In Tuscany enjoy the red poppies with their vivid blankets of color. There’s nothing more enchanting than going on a lovely local walk past the old stone walls, olive groves and surrounded by poppy fields.

Nothing says spring is here like the blossoming of wisteria in Florence. You will stop in your tracks all across the city to admire the sweet-smelling aromas and shades of lavender and indigo. If you are looking for where to go in Italy in spring, a favorite place to enjoy its beauty are the gardens of Villa Bardini which host a wisteria festival.

And as the countryside comes to life revel in the delights of baby animals on the farms and frolicking in the fields. There’s nothing better to put a smile on your face.

Discover this on: Easy Pace Italy

Read more: Where to go to find Europe’s best cherry blossom displays

VISIT ITALY FOR A SPRING BOUNTY

When you visit Italy, sampling the cuisine is one of the great joys. And the secret of Italian food lies in its local, seasonal ingredients, means you are treated to produce at the height of its flavor. For Italians, eating seasonally is a way of life.

In springtime vegetable gardens burst into bloom. Delicate vegetables like asparagus, zucchini flowers, and spring peas are classic spring fare. Many more fruits also start to come into season, most notably strawberries, which you can enjoy in anything from tarts to gelato. Spring marks the end of heavy root dishes and the start of lighter meals. In season you will find fava beans, asparagus, artichokes beans, lemons, zucchini flowers, leeks, beets, strawberries and cherries.

Read more: 7 farm-to-table experiences you can enjoy with Insight

MAGICAL VINEYARDS

When you talk about Italy, it is hard not to think about wine. And in the springtime, vineyards are a hive of activity. For this is the time of year on which a vineyards success is dependent. Pruning or shoot-thinning takes place at the hands of skilled workers, shaping the vines and fixing any errors. Also taking place is topping or hedging when longer shoots are cut back so that the vines are uniform. This is beneficial to vine growth and to the grape harvest. Winemakers love spring. It is the moment of regeneration when the new vintage begins to express itself with the thrill of harvest in the making.

Visit Italy with Insight and enjoy an invitation to the organic farm il Poggio. Here you will join a guided walk, exploring olive oil and learning about wine production. After taking in beautiful views of the rolling Tuscan hills, enjoy tasting the farm’s fines wines and olive oil, in addition to an authentic Italian meal prepared with locally sourced ingredients.

Discover this on Easy Pace Italy.

If you are looking to visit Italy in the spring, then now is the time to book.

I'm a writer, editor and interview specialist with a lifetime's love of travel. There’s nothing more inspiring to me than meeting, and writing about, the world's leading destination experts and travel industry insiders. The thing I love most about writing for Insightful is that I'm always learning something new.

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