The Piazza Del Duomo in Milan during a rare snowstorm. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Italy has much to offer every season. Here are new ways to experience the country this fall and winter, in destinations ranging from the country’s Alpine north to Sicily.
Bormio will be the site of the men’s Alpine ski races during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
getty
Discover Bormio before the Olympics. Italy’s much anticipated Olympic Winter Games Milan Cortina 2026, will take place, obviously, in Milan and Cortina, but there will be a lot of action in other venues hosting competitions across Northern Italy. One spot that’s guaranteed to be in the spotlight is Bormio, a ski resort in the Alta Rezia, a border region close to Switzerland.
Here the men’s Alpine ski events will take place on the Stelvio, a difficult World Cup course known for its length, dramatic jumps, and steep gradient. Bormio Ski describes the piste as “a notoriously unforgiving track.” You can get a preview of the Olympic happenings at the annual FIS World Cup, which will be held Dec. 28 (men’s downhill) and 29 (men’s super-G) this year.
Norway’s Aleksander Kilde skis a training run for the World Cup Men’s Downhill in Bormio. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
In addition to its elite Alpine status, Bormio is also known as a prime spa town, so after all that schussing (you don’t have to be a Black Diamond regular to enjoy Bormio; the majority of slopes cater to intermediates and beginners), Bormio allows you to relax in one of three spa and wellness centers. The Bagni Vecchi, or ancient baths, have been active since Roman times. For pampered stays, there’s the QC Terme Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi located in a grand Art Nouveau building with indoor and outdoor wellness options.
Wool coat and dress, left, by Federico Forquet; white and black wool crepe suit by Valentino. The painting, Bianco Nero. is by Alberto Burri.
Courtesy of the Uffizi Galleries Press Office
Visit Florence’s newly re-opened fashion museum. After a four-year restoration, the Museo della Moda e Costume in the Palazzina della Meridiana, part of the Pitti Palace, a sprawling palazzo that was once home to the Medicis, recently debuted the last of its refurbished rooms devoted to fashion. One of the world’s most important repositories of costume and clothing (there are 15000 items in the collection), the museum now offers a sumptuous itinerary through high-style European clothing from the 18th to the 21st centuries. (Galleries dedicated to contemporary fashion, with designers like Gianni Versace and Gianfranco Ferré for Dior, opened last December.)
Dresses and accessories from the 1870s and 1880s, including a yellow silk-satin moiré dress by the Florentine Sartoria Giabbani, and an ivory silk-satin wedding dress by Charles Frederick Worth. In the background is a painting by Tito Conti (1878-80).
Courtesy of the Uffizi Galleries Press Office
The latest rooms showcase rare garments ranging from French court dress to the work of couture stars of the early 1900s, like the renowned Charles Frederick Worth and the American society dressmaker/couturier, Catherine Donovan. An important addition to the rooms is the period artwork selected to highlight fashion’s impact on the culture of its time. “Costume and its history are intrinsically connected with art, and we wanted to underline this bond by pairing the clothes with a selection of prestigious paintings,” Simone Verde, the Uffizi Galleries director, said in a statement.
Experience a luxury approach to the Renaissance. Among Italy’s many riches are the art and architectural treasures of the Renaissance, the epic cultural movement that revolutionized the aesthetics not only of the Italian peninsula’s city-states, but also countries throughout Europe and in various parts of the world.
Now you can enjoy some of the highlights of this pivotal period in grand style with special behind-the-scenes access in a new tour by Rocco Forte Hotels, available to those staying at one of the company’s properties in four cities. Called the 1504 Tour, it was created to tie in with the the Royal Academy of Art’s upcoming show, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael: Florence c. 1504 (November 9-2024-February 16, 2025), for which the brand is a sponsor.
In London, guests at Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair can take in the exhibit with a VIP viewing, before heading off to Italy’s Renaissance cities—Milan, Florence, and Rome—that helped define the work of its key artistic players.
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Codex Atlanticus.” (Photo by Piero Cruciatti/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
In Milan, guests at Rocco Forte House, a newly opened property in the heart of Milan’s fashion district, have the opportunity to explore the Biblioteca Ambrosiana where its Pinacoteca houses the largest collection of Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings and writings, including the Codex Atlanticus. The director of the museum will accompany the tour; a private dinner can be arranged at the end of the visit.
“The Triumph of Galatea” by Raphael in the Villa Farnesina.
getty
The Rocco Forte House in the Piazza Di Spagna in Rome.
getty
The Florence excursion, with a stay at the Hotel Savoy, includes a private viewing of the River God, one of Michelangelo’s lesser-known and recently restored works, at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. In Rome, the focus is on Raphael, who in addition to his extraordinary achievements as a painter, was a well-known architect and early advocate for preserving antiquities.
Those booking at one of the brand’s hotels in Rome (Hotel de Russie, Hotel de la Ville, and Rocco Forte House) have the option for a custom three-hour visit to the Villa Farnesina in Trastevere, considered one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture, and home to Raphael’s magnificent frescoes, like The Triumph of Galatea and Cupid and Psyche. (Both groups and individuals at the designated Rocco Forte properties are able to participate in the 1504 tour, available November 9, 2024 to February, 15, 2025, and choose the number of cities they want to visit.)
Abstract Expressionist painter Helen Frankenthaler. (Photo by Brownie Harris/Corbis via Getty Images)
Getty Images
Take in top modern and contemporary art shows. Italy may be best known for its Renaissance and Baroque-era art, but it has a notable track record with modern and contemporary work, too, with many museums and galleries exuberantly showcasing the work of 20th-and-21st-century Italian and international artists.
Here are some exhibits of note this fall: The American Abstract Expressionist and Color Field artist Helen Frankenthaler is the focus of a major show in Florence, Painting without Rules, at the Palazzo Strozzi (September 27, 2024-January 26, 2025). The sumptuous Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome, once home to Emperor Napoleon’s mother, hosts a mega-display of the work of Colombian artist Fernando Botero, known for his figurative paintings and large-volume sculptures, who died last year (through January 19, 2025). The Palazzo Reale in Milan (next to the Duomo) is staging a monographic show, Munch: The Inner Cry, dedicated to the famed Expressionist and symbolist painter to mark the 80th anniversary of his death (through January 26, 2025.)
The Brera Modern will be located near the Pinacoteca di Brera, above. (Photo by Michele Bella/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Head to Milan’s newest museum. The much-anticipated debut of the Brera Modern Museum is scheduled for December 7, an important day in Milan as it celebrates St.Ambrose, the city’s patron saint, and La Scala holds its opening night. The new museum will focus on modern art, as an adjunct to the Pinacoteca di Brera, one of Italy’s most important cultural centers with works by Raphael, Bellini, Titian, and Caravaggio. Brera Modern will be located in a palazzo near the main museum.
In other Brera news, the Pinacoteca announced its fall calendar for late evening visits, running from 7:20 to 11:20 PM on selected Thursdays through December 19, 2024.
TrEno LMR travels through the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato region of Piedmont.
Courtesy of TrEno LMR
Travel a heritage train. Heritage trains have been making a comeback in recent years as a means to preserve an important aspect of a country’s transportation history and to encourage sustainable travel. Among the historic routes in Italy ideal for fall excursions are those scheduled by TrEno LMR, running through the splendid vineyard landscapes of Piedmont’s Langhe-Roero and Monferrato, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This sweep of countryside, one of Italy’s most photogenic and noteworthy wine areas, is renowned for its production of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera.
A typical landscape in the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato countryside.
getty
The one-day guided wine and food outings leave and depart from Turin (although you can get on/off in Bra or Alba) via steam or diesel train, and take you deep into wine country to (depending on the itinerary) such destinations as Cannelli, famous for its extraordinary maze of underground cellars. Constructed in the 1500s, these cellars, dubbed “underground cathedrals,” have stored wine and locally produced sparklers like Asti for centuries. Among the other excursions is a trip to Nizza Monferrato, the “capital” of the Barbara DOCG district.
Panettone at Sant Ambroeus in Milan, a city where the holiday bread-cake is thought to have originated. (Photo by Maria Moratti/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Check out the classic Milan holiday bread-cake, panettone—in Sicily, too. Panettone has long been associated with end-of-year holidays and the city of Milan, where, according to legend, it was first created. One sure way to get into the holiday spirit is to enjoy a slice of this freshly baked sweet at the source—Milan has many splendid gourmet pasticcerias, like Cova, Marchesi 1824, and Sant Ambroeus, who cook up the dome-shaped treats from special in-house recipes.
But the small town of Castelbuono in Sicily (about an hour and 20 minutes by car from Palermo) has, in recent years, become a panettone capital in its own right, thanks to the culinary genius of Nicola Fiasconaro and his brothers, Fausto and Martino. The Fiasconaros create some of the most sought-after artisanal varieties of the bread-cake produced in Italy today.
Fiasconaro produces a special panettone collection with the fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Fiasconaro customizes this classic dessert by making it with prime local ingredients, like Sicily’s sought-after pistachios, oranges, apricots, and Modica chocolate, and by developing new flavor combinations. Another unique element in the mix is manna, a natural sweetener culled from ash trees found in the area.
The company presents many delectable varieties for the holidays. In addition to a traditional version, there are chocolate, pistachio and fruit panettoni, and a special “Maximus” offering with Marsala-and-Zibibbo -wine-flavored raisins. You can visit the bakery in Castelbuono and sample the freshly baked panettoni, and if you aren’t able to get to Sicily this season, you can also find the Fiasconaro brand in the U.S.