2 Weeks in Italy - 5 Food & Wine Itinerary Ideas

Itinerary #1: Food & Wine in Italy: Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome & Amalfi Coast

This classic Venice to Rome highlights itinerary offers a nice balance of city street food and market tours, countryside wine tastings, and coastal seafood. You'll nibble Venetian tapas, try fresh produce at the Rialto Market, meet a local pasta maker in Bologna, and sample some of the country's best meats and cheeses in Parma. Enjoy Florence's Renaissance wonders and flame-grilled steaks, sip red wine in the Chianti Hills, craft your own pizza in a Neapolitan masterclass on the Amalfi Coast, and end with a street food tour through Rome's atmospheric Trastevere neighborhood. 

Get your first taste of Italy in Venice, where you'll learn about Jewish influences while sampling cicchetti (Venetian tapas) in the Cannaregio quarter. The following day, you'll savor fresh produce and seafood as you peruse the stalls of Rialto Market, then go bar-hopping for tramezzini (crustless sandwiches often filled with tuna, shrimp, egg, or ham). Afterward, board a train to Bologna to sip caffè in the 13th-century Piazza Maggiore and meet a local pasta maker who'll demonstrate the handcrafting process. On a day trip to Parma, you'll learn about prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano production.

You'll then take a train to Florence to admire the city's art (including Michelangelo's famous "David" statue) and indulge in bistecca alla Fiorentina (flame-grilled T-bone steak) and gelato. Next, you're off to the Chianti Hills for a wine tasting before heading to the Amalfi Coast. Here, you'll stroll cobbled streets and take a day trip to Marisa Cuomo Winery, where the cellars are located within a cliff face. Before leaving the coast, you'll also have a chance to perfect your pizza skills in a Neapolitan masterclass. Finally, your journey ends in Rome with a street food tour through the Trastevere neighborhood. Learn more

Itinerary #2: Food & Wine in Bologna, Venice, Verona, Milan & Turin

Pair your Italian culinary adventures with popular historic sites on this northern Italian adventure that focuses on five gastronomy-rich cities. Highlights include meat-filled pasta and medieval porticos in Bologna, hopping between Venetian islands, a tour of Italy's second-largest Roman amphitheater in Verona, and a visit to Lake Garda's lakeside villages. Feed your appetite along the way with wine tastings in the Valpolicella region and the Langhe Hills, a pasta-making class in Milan, and a street food tour featuring Turin's famous chocolate.

Kick off your adventure in Bologna, where you'll tuck into a bowl of tortelloni in brodo (meat-filled pasta in a broth), wander through medieval porticos, and enjoy a spritz alongside locals at Mercato delle Erbe, a restored indoor market. On a day trip to Parma, you'll sample prosciutto, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and other famous northern Italian favorites such as ravioli al burro e salvia (ravioli with butter and sage). Then you'll catch a train to Venice for a city tour that includes Palazzo Ducale, a Venetian Gothic palace. Afterward, shop for glass-blown souvenirs in Murano and enjoy a seafood lunch in Burano.

Continue to Verona, where you'll see Italy's second-largest Roman amphitheater and dine on risotto all Amarone (risotto with red wine). From there, head to Lake Garda for a tour of lakeside villages and an 11th-century castle followed by a lunch of bigoli con le sarde del Garda (pasta made with sardines). Then you'll continue to Valpolicella to sip regional reds before making your way to Milan, where you'll visit the fashion district and learn how to prepare the perfect pasta. Your last stop is Turin (home of bicerin, a tasty chocolate drink) for a foodie tour and a trip to Sacra di San Michele, an ancient monastery. Learn more

Itinerary #3: Foodie Tour of Naples, Amalfi Coast & Sicily

Savor the distinct culture and cuisines of southern Italy with this flavorful Naples, Amalfi, and Sicily tour. You'll learn the art of pizza making in Naples, tour the ruins of Pompeii, hike in Mount Vesuvius National Park, enjoy a farm lunch and limoncello at a lemon grove on the Amalfi Coast, and take a boat ride into the Emerald Grotto on Capri. Hop over to Sicily to experience the mix of Sicilian and North African flavors on a Palermo street food tour, visit the Temple of Concordia, partake in a tuna tasting in Marzamemi, sip volcanic wines at Mount Etna, and prepare Sicilian fare in a chef-led cooking class in Taormina.

Your culinary journey starts in Naples as you learn to whip up the perfect pizza margherita inside a restaurant owned by one of the city's oldest pizza-making families. Transfer to Pompeii for a wander amid the ancient ruins, then take a hike in Mount Vesuvius National Park en route to the Amalfi Coast. Then, you'll board a ferry to Capri, where you can ride the chairlift up Mount Solaro for sweeping views over the water. A farm lunch—complete with limoncello (lemon liqueur)—at a lemon grove followed by a walk along the citrus-flanked Lemon Path offers the chance to taste and appreciate Amalfi lemons.

Following this, embark on a boat tour to see the stalactites, stalagmites, and green-hued waters of the Emerald Grotto before sitting down for seafood and white wine in Conca dei Marini. A one-hour flight takes you to Sicily next, where you'll try panelle (chickpea fritters) and other street eats showcasing the unique mix of Italian techniques, Sicilian flavors, and North African ingredients on a Palermo food tour. On your way to Syracuse, stop to see the towering columns at the Temple of Concordia. Cap off your trip with a tuna tasting in Marzamemi and a hike and volcanic wine tasting at Mount Etna. Learn more

Itinerary #4: Italian Vineyards, Cuisine & Culture Trip: Tuscany, Umbria & Piedmont

Foodies keen on independent exploration and interactive culinary experiences will appreciate this road trip through Tuscany, Umbria, and Piedmont. Start by making your own gelato in Florence, then get behind the wheel to sample sweets at Perugina Chocolate Factory, observe olive oil production in Assisi, sip Brunello wine in Montalcino, feast on local pasta shapes in Siena, and search for truffles in the Langhe. In between all the eating and drinking, you'll browse Renaissance jewels and Etruscan ruins in Tuscany, go hiking in the Monferrato hills, check out contemporary art installations in Piedmont, and more. 

Dive straight into your culinary journey with a Florence food tour that starts with cheese and truffles in the Oltrarno neighborhood and a cellar visit at a local wine bar, and ends with a four-course meal and gelato. In the morning, you'll take an art walk to see some of the city's cathedrals, galleries, and palaces, then spend the afternoon making your own gelato with a local expert. Hop in a rental car and head to Perugia for a tasting at Perugina Chocolate Factory and a city tour that includes Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, a Gothic-style cathedral. Then you're off to Assisi for a wine and olive oil tasting.

Continue your drive through the Umbria countryside, pausing to see the mosaics at Villa dei Mosaici di Spello. Next, you'll try Brunello wine in Montalcino and sip Chianti in the suspended tasting room at Antinori nel Chianti Classico. Venture to Siena for a tour of its medieval monuments and a lunch of pici, a spaghetti dish often paired with wild boar ragù. Your journey then takes you to the Monferrato hills for a hike amid olive groves and vineyards, and a dinner that includes truffles and Barbera wine. Round out your road trip with a hazelnut farm tour in Alta Langa and truffle hunting in the Langhe. Learn more

Itinerary #5: Northern Italian Gastronomy Adventure

This alternative northern Italy itinerary includes the renowned Emilia-Romagna region and the Lambrusco wine country in your exploration of northern cuisine. As you travel from Venice to Milan by train, you'll admire Gothic architecture and engage in cicchetti culture in Venice, sip Prosecco in the Veneto countryside, learn about balsamic vinegar production in Modena, and help prepare dinner in a Parma family home. Your trip wraps up in Milan, where you'll seek out the city's coolest neighborhoods for aperitivo hour and get your fill of Milanese classics like risotto and polenta on a food tour.

Experience Venice's cicchetti culture on arrival as you follow your guide to bacari (wine bars) around the city, where you'll taste small bites paired with Italian wines. Then you'll join a tour of the Veneto countryside to learn how Prosecco is made. The following day, take a high-speed train to Bologna for a pasta-making lesson and a visit to the Quadrilatero market district, where you can try more local cheeses and pastas. Continue to Modena and delve into the traditions around balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, and Parmigiano-Reggiano production before sampling sparkling Lambrusco at a rural vineyard. 

Your gastronomic journey across the Emilia-Romagna region continues to Parma, where you'll prepare a feast in a local home using family recipes. You'll also have time to see the sculptures and pink marble facade of the Baptistery on a walking tour. In the morning, board a train to Milan, where you can check off city landmarks like Sforza Castle and see Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" at Santa Maria delle Grazie. On your final full day, you'll visit the Gothic-style Duomo di Milano and fit in one last food tour—complete with Milan-style risotto, meatballs, and cannoli. Learn more

More Great 2-Week Italy Itineraries

Looking for more inspiration for your trip to Italy? Check out these other two-week Italy itineraries, with culinary adventures, cultural trips, and best-of tours to hit the highlights.