Italy
Italy
Twenty regions, hundreds of native grapes and a national rule that lunch is never rushed.
Italy doesn't have a wine region. It is one. Vines grow from the Alps to the tip of Sicily, and every valley swears its grape is the best and its grandmother's recipe the only correct one. Tuscany gives you Chianti, cypress-lined hills and Renaissance cities with wine windows in the walls. Piedmont serves Barolo with truffles so prized they're sold by the gram. The Prosecco hills north of Venice make the bubbles behind half the world's brunches, while Sicily grows wine on the slopes of Europe's most active volcano. And just when you think it's all about wine, Italy's craft brewers start putting grapes in their beer. Bring an appetite. You'll need it.
Featured Tour
Our expert-led small group tour in Italy
Private & Custom Italy Wine Experiences
Want an Italian wine trip with just your group, or a region we don't run yet? We can arrange private departures and custom itineraries.
Custom Italian Wine Adventures
Tuscany, Piedmont, the Prosecco hills or Sicily? Tell us what you love to drink and we'll build a trip around it.
Private Groups & Celebrations
Birthdays, anniversaries or a gang of friends who take their Negronis seriously. Your dates, your group.
Spring and early autumn are ideal for vineyard visits, and autumn adds truffles.
Italy Highlights
A Cheeky Guide to Italy's Drinking Regions
Tuscany is Sangiovese country: Chianti Classico between Florence and Siena, mighty Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, plus the 'Super Tuscans' of the coast that broke the rules and became famous for it. Piedmont, in the north-west, makes Barolo and Barbaresco from the Nebbiolo grape, everyday-delicious Barbera and sweet, fizzy Moscato d'Asti, and Turin gave the world vermouth. The Prosecco hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, grow the Glera grape on slopes so steep they're often worked by hand, and the wider Veneto adds Amarone, made from grapes dried for months before pressing. Sicily brings Nero d'Avola, fortified Marsala and the black volcanic soils of Mount Etna, where Nerello Mascalese and Carricante grow on the mountain's slopes. Then there's beer: Italy's craft scene took off in the mid-1990s and invented its own style, the Italian Grape Ale, brewed with wine grapes or grape must.
Florence still has more than 150 'wine windows', small hatches in palace walls that sold wine to passers-by. Several reopened during the Covid pandemic.
Why Tipple Tours Is Heading to Italy
Because Italy is the ultimate drinking country that most people only see through a tour-bus window. The famous names are brilliant, but the real joy is the family cellar where the winemaker's mother insists you stay for pasta, the volcano vineyard older than most countries, and the micro-brewery making beer with Barolo grapes. We're building our Italian adventures the Tipple Tours way: small groups, proper local characters, plenty of laughs and absolutely no queueing behind selfie sticks at the Leaning Tower.
Weird Facts & Local Legends
The Black Rooster Race
Legend says Florence and Siena settled their border with a horse race that started at cockcrow. Florence starved its black rooster, which crowed early, and won most of Chianti. The black rooster is still the Chianti Classico emblem.
Truffles at Auction
Alba's white truffles are hunted at night by dogs and sold by the gram. Record-breaking specimens have gone for six-figure sums at charity auctions.
An Englishman's Marsala
Sicily's Marsala became world-famous after English merchant John Woodhouse fortified it in the late 1700s so it would survive the voyage home. Nelson's fleet reportedly drank it too.
Grapes in Your Pint
The Italian Grape Ale is one of the few beer styles invented in Italy. Brewers blend wine grapes or grape must into the beer, which is very Italian: why choose between wine and beer?
Things to Do in Italy
Sip Chianti Among the Cypress Trees
Hilltop villages, family estates and the black rooster on every bottle between Florence and Siena.
Hunt Truffles in Piedmont
Follow a truffle dog through the Langhe woods, then eat your findings over pasta with a glass of Barolo.
Bubbles in the Prosecco Hills
Steep UNESCO-listed vineyards, tiny osterie and Prosecco straight from the people who make it.
Taste Wine on a Volcano
Black lava soils, ancient vines and views of smoking Mount Etna. Sicilian lunch strongly recommended.
Hop Through the Craft Beer Scene
From Turin to Rome, Italian brewers are making brilliant beers, including ales brewed with wine grapes.
Master the Aperitivo
Early-evening spritz, Negroni or vermouth, usually with free snacks. A sacred ritual we fully intend to respect.
Best Time to Visit Italy
May - June & September - October
Warm days, green or golden vineyards and, in autumn, the harvest. Piedmont's white truffle season runs from October.
April & November
Fewer crowds and lower prices. November is prime truffle and new-wine season.
Mid-July to August
Scorching heat, packed coastlines and many family wineries close around the Ferragosto holiday on 15 August.
Getting to Italy
By Air
- Airport
- Florence (FLR) or Pisa (PSA) for Tuscany, Turin (TRN) or Milan for Piedmont, Venice (VCE) or Treviso (TSF) for Prosecco, Catania (CTA) for Etna
- Flight Time from London
- Around 2-2.5 hours from the UK, or about 3 hours to Sicily
- Airlines
- British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2 and ITA Airways
- Visa
- UK citizens can visit Italy visa-free for short stays. The EU entry and exit system applies at the border, so allow a little extra time.
Pro Tip
Italy's fast trains are excellent: Milan to Florence takes under 2 hours. Hire a car for the vineyards, but never drive into a historic town centre's ZTL zone, the camera fines are legendary.
Local Tips for Italy
Cappuccino is a breakfast drink. Order one after lunch and you will be quietly judged. An espresso ("un caffè") is fine any time.
Coffee drunk standing at the bar costs less than sitting at a table.
A "coperto" cover charge on the bill is normal. Tipping is appreciated but not expected.
Aperitivo hour, roughly 6 to 8pm, often comes with free snacks when you buy a drink.
Book Barolo, Brunello and Etna winery visits ahead. Many are small family estates without a walk-in tasting room.
Many shops and smaller wineries close for a long lunch. Embrace it and join them.
Italy Travel FAQs
Do you run Italy tours?
Which Italian wine region is best for a first visit?
When is truffle season in Piedmont?
Is Italy good for beer lovers too?
Can I travel solo?
Ready to Explore Italy?
Join one of our small group tours and experience Italy like a local.
