TRANSPORTATION
The best region for a scenic train ride: MOLISE (take the stunning Trans-Siberian Train from Abruzzo’s Sulmona into the National Parks of Molise)
The best region for a road trip: VALLE D’AOSTA (hop in a car and cruise around the entirety of this 3,263-square-kilometer region to see jaw-dropping vistas, two-thousand-year old archeological remains like the Arch of Augustus and perfectly preserved Porta Praetoria, hundreds of castles including the Fénis, Issogne, and Verrès, and some of Europe’s highest, most iconic peaks: Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, and Grand Paradiso)
The best region to see by boat: CAMPANIA (the beauty of the Amalfi Coast is much better appreciated from the sea, away from the crowds; plus, the archipelago’s five main islands–as well as cool private ones, like the Li Galli Islets–are only reachable by boat… and you’re going to want to reach them)
The region with the most gondolas: TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE (675 ski lifts service the 2,000 kilometers of slopes)
The region with the most other type of gondolas: VENETO (around 400 friulane-wearing gondoliers paddle through the canals of Venice–though taking a gondola here is the mainland equivalent of cruising around in a horse-drawn carriage. Here, the only way to get around is by water, and locals opt for vaporetti instead of buses and riva boats instead of taxis!)
Valle d'Aosta: Aosta
Trentino-Alto Adige: one of 675 ski lifts that service the 2,000 kilometers of slopes
ARCHITECTURE
The region with the craziest coastal structures: ABRUZZO (would you believe their spidery fishing machines, which look like something out of a Tim Burton movie, are now restaurants?)
The region with the most leaning tower: EMILIA ROMAGNA (bet you didn’t know the Garisenda Tower in Bologna leans at a whopping 4°, surpassing Pisa’s famed one at 3.97°)
The region with the most R-rated architecture: UMBRIA (there’s a reason you shouldn’t bring children to La Scarzuola)
The region with the most monsters in its hills: TUSCANY (thank you Niki de Saint Phalle!)
The region that was home to the most eclectic of all eclectics: PIEDMONT (oh, to see inside the mind of Carlo Mollino)
Piedmont: Casa Mollino; Photo by Fulvio Rosso
Emilia Romagna: Garisenda Tower in Bologna
FOOD
The region that produces the most pecorino: SARDINIA (from 2021–22, Sardinian dairies produced about 30,000 tonnes of Pecorino Romano)
The region that uses the most pecorino: LAZIO (Rome’s most iconic pastas–gricia, carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana–are nothing without the cheese)
The region with the best prosciutto in Italy: FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA (sorry, Emilia Romagna, but Prosciutto d’Osvaldo and Prosciutto di San Daniele take the cake)
The region where you can find the best non-Italian food in Italy: LOMBARDY (thanks to Milan’s large immigrant population, at 20% of the total!)
The region with the most underrated food destinations: MARCHE (seafood, fried olives, flatbreads, truffles…the region has it all)
Friuli Venezia Giulia: Prosciutto di Osvaldo
CULTURE
The region with the most well-preserved Greek temples: SICILY (by the end of the fifth century B.C.E., Sicily was dotted with so many Greek settlements that it became known as Magna Graecia)
The region that’s home to the oldest continually inhabited city in Italy: BASILICATA (Matera also ranks third in the world!)
The most influential region in fashion: LIGURIA (even Milan can’t compete with Genova’s invention of jeans)
The best region for antique shopping: PUGLIA (our Pinterest dreams come true here)
The region with the best redemption story: CALABRIA (here’s how Aspromonte went from organized crime to 5-star reviews)
Puglia: Antiques
Sicily: Agrigento temple
OFF THE BEATEN PATH: SUBREGIONS
The subregion with the best red wines: THE LANGHE (Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, Barolo… need we continue?)
The subregion that looks most like a western movie set: MAREMMA (and we’ve got our own version of cowboys here)
The most inspirational subregion: GULF OF POETS (Lord Byron, David Herbert Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, George Sand, Sem Benelli, Petrarca, Montale, Gabriele D’Annunzio, and Filippo Tommaso Marinetti all found inspiration among the colorful houses and clear waters here)
The subregion with the most beautiful Baroque architecture: VAL DI NOTO (the eight towns of the valley have acquired UNESCO World Heritage status for a reason)
The subregion with the most understated grandeur: TUSCIA (once the countryside playground for ancient Romans, the subregion captures the charm of the Renaissance’s ancient nobility among romantic rolling hills)
Tuscia: Ancient roman relics; Courtesy of Tenuta di Bertarello
Langhe: Barolo; Photography by Letizia Cigliutti
