Best 28 Days in Italy — Photography

Wander Trastevere's cobblestone lanes at sunset and eat supplì, cacio e pepe, and Roman pizza al taglio

Ride through Rome's ancient streets in a Vespa sidecar with a local guide narrating the city's history

Train with replica Roman weapons and learn gladiator combat techniques at a historic school near the Colosseum

Pre-book Vatican Museums tickets to see the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms without queuing for hours

Visit the Pantheon, toss a coin in Trevi Fountain with the children, and stroll to Piazza Navona for gelato

Reserve a mandatory 2-hour slot at the Borghese Gallery, then let the children ride bikes and row boats in Rome's loveliest park

Make fresh ravioli, fettuccine, and pappardelle in a small-group Roman cooking class — great for children age 5+

Shop the Testaccio covered market and taste supplì, porchetta, and maritozzo in Rome's most authentic food neighborhood

Climb the dome of St. Peter's Basilica and walk the world's smallest country at the Vatican

Stroll from the Spanish Steps through the Baroque heart of Rome to the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona

Climb 463 steps to the top of Brunelleschi's revolutionary dome for 360° views over Florence's terracotta rooftops

Watch the sunset over Florence's rooftops and Arno River from the panoramic Piazzale Michelangelo

Take the 2.5-hour train to Cinque Terre and hike or ferry between five pastel fishing villages on the Italian Riviera

Ride through Florence on a vintage Vespa with a local guide, then into the Tuscan hills to a Medici villa viewpoint

Book a timed slot to stand before Michelangelo's 5.17m marble David at the Galleria dell'Accademia

Book ahead for the Uffizi to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus, da Vinci's Annunciation, and the world's greatest Renaissance collection

Join a small-group day tour through Chianti vineyards, medieval San Gimignano, and a Tuscan farmhouse lunch

Take the vaporetto to the Murano glass museum and glassblowing demos — kids love the fire — then ride to Burano's candy-colored houses

Walk Venice's most photogenic canals and bridges with a professional photographer coaching your composition and lighting

Enter St. Mark's golden Byzantine basilica and the Doge's Palace — book the Palace in advance to skip long queues

Ride vaporetto Line 1 the full length of the Grand Canal past 200 Gothic and Renaissance palaces — then take a gondola through back canals

Rent an electric scooter or golf cart and zip between Capri Town, Anacapri, and the island's coastal viewpoints

Take the bus to Anacapri and descend by rowboat into the Blue Grotto's eerily glowing sea cave

Walk Positano's steep narrow lanes, photograph its pastel dome from the beach, and swim at Spiaggia Grande

Cook a three-course Campanian meal in a Positano resident's home — pasta, seafood, and limoncello dessert

Book months ahead to see Leonardo's Last Supper mural — only 40 visitors admitted every 15 minutes

Catch a 45-minute train from Milan to Como, then take the ferry to photogenic Bellagio and Varenna

Hike the Sentiero Azzurro coastal trail from Monterosso to Vernazza along dramatic cliffside paths above the Ligurian Sea

Swim and sunbathe at Monterosso al Mare's sandy beach — the only proper beach in Cinque Terre — with views of medieval towers

Take the train to the Ligurian coast and hike the coastal Blue Trail between Monterosso, Vernazza, and Corniglia

Spend 60-90 minutes with a professional local photographer shooting portraits at Bellagio's most scenic lakeside spots