Renowned for its world-renowned cities, magnificent centuries-old works of art, grand architecture, stunning scenery, and mouthwatering cuisine, Italy draws many who are looking to indulge in an opulent escape. After all, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and plenty of other well-knowns have homes here. If you’d like to sample the best of the best when it comes to luxuries on your Italian vacation, be sure to put some of these options on your list.
Stay at the Luxurious Baglioni Hotel Regina - Rome
What Is It? Part of the small, family-run Baglioni group of hotels, the Baglioni Hotel Regina boasts a prime spot on Via Veneto, famous in the 1960s for la dolce vita.
Why Do It? The crown jewel is its Roman Penthouse Suite, a massive 6,028-square-foot space that covers the entire top floor. It has a huge terrace and a private Jacuzzi where you can take in sweeping views of the terracotta roofs, monuments, and cupolas. There’s a full kitchen, dining room, bar, living room, and three bedrooms too. Plus, it’s likely to be the same space that Lady Gaga stayed in when filming near the famous Spanish Steps.
Good to Know: The hotel’s restaurant is helmed by chef Luciano Sarzi Sartori, who’s cooked for celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney so you know the food is going to be memorable too.
Charter a Super Luxury Yacht
What Is It? One of the most exclusive luxury experiences to have in your “billionaire dream vacation” in Italy is to charter a super-luxe yacht, enjoying a week sailing the Amalfi Coast from Capri.
Why Do It? In addition to enjoying the renowned high-end shopping and sipping pre-dinner drinks on the terrace of Grand Hotel Quisisana in Capri, you’ll be able to marvel at one of the world’s most spectacular coastlines from the water.
Good to Know: You’ll get wide views of every town along the way that’s carved right into the mountains, like Sorrento, famous for its lemons, and pretty Positano, with its colorful pastel homes that spill down the steep face of the cliffs.
Drive a Formula One Car on a Grand Prix Circuit - Monza
What Is It? Italy is renowned for its racing and here you can take part in the ultimate driving experience, stepping into a real Formula 1, a Lamborghini, Ferrari, or Porsche just like a race car driver to test your skills.
Why Do It? You can even feel the thrill of a super-high-speed run around a real Grand Prix circuit in Monza.
Good to Know: It’s offered through Puresport Driving Experience.
Shop Milan's Most Luxurious Venues
What Is It? Milan is an international capital of fashion (along with architecture and industrial design).
Why Do It? It’s a city where everyone dresses to impress, oozing with elegance and good taste. One of the most luxurious things you can do is to immerse yourself in the world of high style along the famous shopping streets such as Via Monte Napoleone and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II where the cheapest item of clothing is said to run 10,000 euros (over $11,000 US).
Good to Know: While you’re here you can also gaze up at the jaw-dropping gothic cathedral, Europe’s third-largest church, requiring over six centuries to complete.
Sailing Experience on Lake Como with Private Skipper
What Is It? Lake Como is the most famous of the many lakes in Italy, covering over 56 square miles while enjoying a stunning backdrop of the snow-dusted Italian Alps.
Why Do It? Located an hour’s drive north of Milan, it’s all about striking natural beauty and glamour, with lots of world-famous visitors and residents, from the Kennedys to the Clooneys. You’ll get a great perspective of it all on a sailing experience that includes your own private skipper. Gaze out at the incredible ancient villas on the shoreline and enjoy Italian aperitif made up of local foods.
Good to Know: As it’s customized just for you, you can choose to stop and enjoy a swim in an exclusive spot or just relax end enjoy the sights with the wind in your hair.
Truffle Hunting, Cooking Class & Lunch in Tuscany
What Is It? Tuscany is famous for its truffles, a luxurious delicacy with various types that can be found in the region, including the rare white truffle if you’re here between September and December.
Why Do It? Enjoy the total experience with a tour that will take you deep into the forest alongside a legendary truffle hunter and his dog. You’ll learn the secrets of the process, including how the dogs are trained and how the truffles are used in delicious dishes.
Good to Know: After the dogs have sniffed them out, you’ll head into the kitchen for an exclusive cooking class and lunch, made with the truffles that were uncovered.
Sunrise Couple Photoshoot Tour in Venice
What Is It? Venice is one of the world’s most romantic cities, with its gondolas that glide across canals lined with magnificent architecture. But as such a popular place, it also attracts big crowds. This experience allows you to capture photos when the “Floating City” is at its best, and with you and your partner in them.
Why Do It? You’ll take part in a special sunrise photoshoot before all the tourists are out and the sights are at their most photogenic.
Good to Know: It begins in Saint Mark’s Square before heading to various backstreets that aren’t known to most outsiders and include 70 professionally edited high-definition photos.
Get Pampered at an Exclusive Spa in the Italian Alps
What Is It? The spa experiences in Italy take luxury to a whole new level and the Italian Alps are home to many where you’ll be spoiled like nowhere else while nourishing mind and body, including the ADLER spa resort.
Why Do It? The ADLER spa resort, nestled in the Dolomites, boasts a magical setting in the Val Gardena region and offers Day Spa packages that include full access to its “pools park” which includes both thermal pools and traditional swimming pools along with decadent spa treatments.
Good to Know: You can also enjoy saunas at ADLER AQUAE, including a Turkish bath, Finnish, herbal, and saline steam sauna. The Vital Bar offers herbal teas, fresh fruits, and water.
Dine in One of Italy's Most Unique and Luxurious Restaurants - Polignano a Mare
What Is It? Set within a vaulted limestone cave in southern Italy’s beautiful seaside town of Polignano a Mare, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything more romantic and luxurious than a candlelit dinner at Grotta Palazzese.
Why Do It? It’s been called one of the “most romantic settings in all of Italy,” incorporating rock formations complete with tables that implausibly stand on a bridge inside a jagged cave, with the waves casting shadows in shades of blue and green on the walls. You’ll have the best view at one of the dimly-lit tables for two that sweep along the edge of the grotto.
Good to Know: The restaurant is believed to have been used for dining since the 18th-century, bringing local nobility to gather for feasts just as guests do today.
Self-Drive Vintage Fiat 500 Tour from Florence: Tuscan Villa and Gourmet Lunch
What Is It? A classic way to tour Italy is in a Fiat and you can drive your own restored vintage Fiat 500 through the awe-inspiring landscapes of Tuscany, including vineyard- and olive grove-covered hills framed by cypress trees.
Why Do It? Discover medieval hilltop towns, stop to take photos, and taste Tuscan delicacies along the way.
Good to Know: You’ll be given a route that travels to some of the most “beautiful hidden corners” of the region along with an orientation on the basic Italian street rules and how to drive the vehicle.
Mt Etna Private Helicopter Flight from Castiglione di Sicilia
What Is It? Helicopter flights aren’t cheap but they are unforgettable, especially this one, a private 20-minute tour over Europe’s highest active volcano, Mount Etna.
Why Do It? You’ll depart from Castiglione di Sicilia, enjoying not only a bird’s-eye view of the volcanic mountain, its craters, lava flows, and peaks, but the ancient amphitheater of Taormina. It includes hotel pickup and drop-off, with the experience personalized just for you.
Good to Know: As it’s private, you’ll have the full attention of your guide to ask questions and learn more about the local area.
Private Half-Day Boat Tour to Capri Island
What Is It? A boat tour is really a must for anyone touring Italy’s coasts, and this one offers the ultimate in a luxurious experience, heading to Capri.
Why Do It? This glamorous retreat attracts many celebrities and wealthy jet-setters of all types as a popular getaway since Roman times. It lies opposite the Sorrento peninsula and features an alluring maze of narrow streets lined with fashion boutiques that sell all the big designer names along with fabulous local restaurants.
Good to Know: As you sail the coastline, discover the iconic Faraglioni rock formation and grottoes in many different colors, perhaps including an excursion to the most famous, the Blue Grotto, where you’ll witness the surreal interior illuminated in a silvery blue glow.
Private Horses and Vineyards - Horseback Riding in Tuscan
What Is It? Wine tasting on horseback? Sign us up. This winemaking and horseback riding tour is a six-hour experience departing from Florence.
Why Do It? You’ll ride through the Chianti wine region in Tuscany, following your expert guide. Enjoy the scenery, including vineyards and olive trees along the way, stopping to visit two local wine cellars where you’ll learn about the region’s winemaking tradition.
Good to Know: Afterward, you’ll sit down to enjoy a meal made up of Tuscan dishes paired with Chianti wines. It’s an intimate excursion with a maximum of just eight people.
