I've traveled to some of Italy's most popular destinations. Here are 7 things I wish I'd known before visiting during tourist season.

If you're based in the US like me, June and July are some of the most expensive months to fly internationally, so I think summer is a great time to explore what my own country has to offer.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with an employee who has been on a "quiet vacation," which refers to taking time off without using PTO. The interviewee requested anonymity to protect their employment. Business Insider has verified their identity, employment, and travel with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Venice, Italy, trialed a tourist tax earlier this year by charging day-trippers 5 euros ($5.43) to enter the city on 29 days. Now, the City of Bridges is planning to continue the tax next year and possibly increase the fee.

The results of Venice’s tourist entry fee for day trippers are in. For a total of 29 days between April 25 and July 14, Venice mandated that day trippers pay a fee of 5 euros before entering the city. The system targets day trippers from nearby Italian regions.

Love is in the air as one of Italy’s most famous walking routes is set to reopen after more than a decade.

When I visited the Colosseum in Rome for the first time, I wanted to experience stunning views that would transport me to the past.

Undeniably one of the most spectacular and dramatic stretches of coastline in the world, the celebrated Amalfi Coast pulls in millions of visitors from across the globe each year, all of them attracted by a heady, irresistible mix of astonishing scenery, exclusive hotels, superb food, endless expanses of shimmering blue sea, and a frisson of old-world glamour. There’s plenty to see and do, too, with activities ranging from cooking classes and wine tastings to hikes, day trips to Capri and Salerno, and visits further afield to the world-class archaeological sites at Herculaneum and Paestum.

Waiting tables a few months at a time is enough for Celeste Cox to fund her travels to bucket list destinations.

Too many tourists visit the world's hottest destinations, from Italy to Amsterdam and Barcelona. As a result, locals regularly endure massive crowds, traffic jams, and increased living costs.

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Millions of travelers pass through Italian airports every year, but most probably don’t know that Rome’s airport is named for Leonardo da Vinci, Pisa’s is named for Galileo Galilei, and Palermo’s is named for Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, two prosecutors who were murdered in 1992 as payback for their anti-Mafia crusades.

Jul 16, 2024 • 5 min read