International travel coverage of Italy tends to return to the same places for a reason; Rome, Florence, Venice and a handful of other destinations carried the country’s image abroad for decades, and they still do so pretty convincingly. They are easy to recognize, easy to explain, and, well… easy to sell.
What is less often explored is how a specific year can subtly affect the experience of traveling in Italy, not by replacing those places, but by changing the context around them. In 2026, the country offers several such moments and following them leads almost naturally to destinations that sit just outside the usual frame we have just mentioned.
