{"id":963,"date":"2018-03-20T14:30:27","date_gmt":"2018-03-20T14:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.italyvacationspecialists.com\/blog\/?p=963"},"modified":"2026-01-08T17:12:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T17:12:34","slug":"shocking-info-about-travel-in-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.italyvacationspecialists.com\/blog\/shocking-info-about-travel-in-italy","title":{"rendered":"Italy’s Biggest Tourist Traps & How to Avoid Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mass<\/p>\n

Over the past decade, Italy has become one of the world’s most visited destinations attracting over 50 million visitors\u00a0annually. It’s a shocking number considering\u00a0that Italy’s entire population is only 60 million and geographically speaking Italy as a country doesn’t even occupy half the state of California.\u00a0 Yet, what is more shocking still is the fact that the vast\u00a0majority of visitors to Italy (over 80% of travelers)\u00a0 are visiting the same six places:\u00a0 Florence<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, Venice<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, Rome<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, the Amalfi<\/a><\/strong><\/span> Coast,<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>the island\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Capri<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, and the Cinque Terre<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

No doubt, all of these destinations are extraordinarily beautiful and nowadays, many of these destinations in Italy are continuously blogged about, Instagrammed about, Tweeted about and talked about. Often times, the art cities like Florence<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Venice<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Rome<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span> are showcased\u00a0 with\u00a0their empty piazzas and the coastal areas and islands with their pristine beaches, vacant roads and untouched hiking trails, but what so many people leave out of the equation is that once you get here, especially to places like Positano<\/strong><\/span><\/a> on the Amalfi Coast<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, or the island of Capri<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, especially now during the peak seasons, you can find yourself there with thousands of other people and that is something the vast majority of companies or social media outlets in Italy fail to mention or educate their clients about.<\/p>\n

Tourism is a wonderful renewable and sustainable resource if managed with sustainability in mind and tourism has in fact helped the economy in Italy enormously, however when tourists start to outnumber the locals, when towns and cities cater entirely to tourism, it’s not always certain if this is the best case scenario for local communities and visitors themselves.<\/p>\n

The fact that so many areas in Italy have turned into tourist\u00a0states where tourists outnumber local residents and the vast number of businesses cater primarily to the needs of tourists and not the local communities, means that the big\u00a0six\u00a0destinations in Italy (those mentioned above) by their very nature are tourist traps and we’re not saying they’re not beautiful to see – of course they are, but they are primarily driven by mass tourism\u00a0and it’s best you know before you go and make no pretense about it, and if possible to learn some of the facts about traveling to some of these areas well in advance, particularly when it comes to knowing when the peak season is in Italy is and some other surprising facts which may\u00a0alter your decisions in terms of what you decide to purchase in terms of experiences during your next vacation to Italy.<\/p>\n

Not only can arming yourself with up-to-date information about travel in Italy, save you money, it can all save you a lot of aggravation in terms of waiting in long lines, traffic, grumpy staff experiences and other details that we think make the difference between planning an average trip and a truly excellent one.<\/p>\n

Below, we have prepared some important information that can help you in planning your upcoming trip to Italy and avoiding some of the major pit-falls, so many visitors to Italy fall into and one of the most important things to consider is when the peak-seasons for travel are.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Know when the peak-season is<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Many first time travelers want to know when is the best time to visit Italy, and the answer may surprise you.\u00a0 Peak season for travel in Italy is not what most people consider.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Peak-Season<\/a><\/p>\n

    The peak seasons for travel may not be what you expect, for example October is one of the very busiest times in Italy, particularly in Florence, Venice, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre and you may be shocked to know that \u00a0June, September and October are considered peak season in Florence, Venice and Rome, but it’s getting tobe busy now\u00a0all year round and so it’s important\u00a0 important to reserve well in advance to get the best prices for accommodations, otherwise if you wait\u00a0 you end up paying more and finding less options the closer you get to the date of departure.\u00a0 It’s a matter of supply and demand. It’s a small country with a limited supply of hotels in areas like the Amalfi Coast, Taormina, Venice, & the Cinque Terre, supply is often less than the demand, hence prices are going up all over Italy during the peak season and scarcity is driving the price-hikes.<\/p>\n

    2. Avoid Travel to the sea-side<\/span> areas from August 10 – 18 if you can avoid it and for some of the best deals in Italy consider visiting Florence, Venice and Rome in August where you can find the best deals!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    August 15th is Ferragosto and around this time of year almost all of the public workers in Italy are allowed a one week holiday, so quite literally tens of millions of Italian tourists themselves are on the move around the 15th of August making traffic horrendous and hotel prices, particularly near the sea-side sore.<\/p>\n

    Generally speaking during this time, the local residents pour out of the cities like Florence and Rome and all head to cooler climates,\u00a0make Rome and Florence ideal to visit if you can stand the heat!<\/p>\n

    If you don’t want to deal with the August temperatures,\u00a0consider visiting Italy in the winter months which is a surprisingly great time to visit Italy and may be a pleasant surprise for all that this country has to offer in terms of natural hot-springs, great culinary experiences, wonderful scenery and access to the museums and galleries without the hassle of the masses during the spring and fall months!<\/p>\n

    3. Consider towns and cities nearby some of the more popular areas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Take for example the Cinque Terre.\u00a0 This is a stretch of coastline on the Italian riviera that is shouldered by some other tows and regions towards the north and the south.\u00a0 Check out one of our recent articles on the Cinque Terre national park:<\/p>\n

    \"Let's<\/p>\n

    https:\/\/www.italyvacationspecialists.com\/blog\/thinking-staying-cinque-terre-italy-may-want-think<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

    And it’s not only for the Cinque Terre we have recommendations, its for everywhere in Italy close to the major centers and even this fall we are gearing up to show some of our colleagues the area around Rome which is so fascinating!<\/p>\n

    4. When taking a group tour confirm the number of participants before the tour.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Some tour companies offer huge group tours where you are with head-sets and walking with anywhere from 40-60 people.\u00a0 If this sounds like your idea of a good time, great, but a lot of people find these types of group sizes overwhelming.<\/p>\n

    5.\u00a0 Rail between cities like Florence and Rome may seem inexpensive, but at what cost?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    If you are arriving into Florence and need to take another tour to get into Tuscany, consider taking a private transfer and seeing some of the Tuscany region en-route between Florence and Rome.\u00a0 Have a look at one of our articles about using private transfers as great sightseeing experiences and knowing where and when not to use them.<\/p>\n

    Save Money & Use Private Transfers as Opportunities for Incredible Experiences & Sightseeing<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n