Tripadvisor released its 2025 Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Destinations earlier this week. Two Italian cities made the top ten, with London taking top spot.
London is cool. It’s always been cool – The Beatles crossing at Abbey Road Studios, the punks on Carnaby Street during the 70s and 80s, and now it’s the edgy Camden, a world of food at Borough Market, chic Portobello Road.
There’s history everywhere – beneath your feet, around you, above you. Monuments, museums – free to enter museums – traditional pubs, swanky restaurants, parks to enjoy a full-blown picnic or a quick sandwich in.
It’s no wonder it took top spot. There’s always something new and different to explore.
OK, I’m a little biased – this is the capital city of my homeland. I may have spent far too many hours strolling the streets of Soho in the middle of the night (not in that way!) during my early years. But this is a site about Italy, so let’s move on to Sicily and Rome the two Italian destinations which made the top 10 Best of the Best Destinations.
Sicily – #4
My first taste of Sicily was when we disgorged from a cruise ship in Palermo. Yes, I am an advocate of Slow Travel, but this was cheap and I’d never tried it. I won’t be trying it again.
However, that ‘morso’ of the island was enough to make me want to go back.
Read: Quick travel guide: Palermo
And return I did, last year.
I loved it. I was on a busman’s holiday – travelling round the island to gain fodder for travel articles. Based in Syracuse, I was ‘scarpetta’, mopping up all the delicious sauce that the south and east of the island had to offer.
My mouth was watering at the Baroque towns and cities of the Val di Noto. I devoured the Greek temples (some of the best outside Greece) outside Agrigento. (Probably enough of the eating analogies, no?)
I followed in the footsteps of Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano, visiting the TV set, and tried the grainy chocolate of Modica. Ortigia became my evening stomping ground as I wound through the small streets and dined in interesting restaurants – and that’s before we mention the street food.
With a history of invasion where the Greek, Norman, French, Arabic have all left their mark on the island’s culture, Sicily is an island that will not disappoint.
I’m ready to return, again.
Rome – #6
What to say about the Eternal City that has not been said before? You literally fall over the Roman history – Colosseum, Pantheon, Forum to name a few – but there’s also the Baroque, Renaissance and so on.
The art in the Borghese Gallery, the sculptures in Piazza Navona; open-air markets, fried artichokes; the Sistene Chapel and St Peter’s; toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain… the list goes on.
There’s so much culture to enjoy, in whatever form that takes, that you could fill a month of Sundays seeing just the tip of it. Plus, with lots of modern improvements to the city thanks to this year’s Jubilee, the capital should be easier to move around.
Read: 10 most popular sights in Rome
Unless you’re on a pilgrimage, 2025 may not be the best year to visit Rome as crowds are expected to be even larger. But don’t let that put you off from planning your 2026 and beyond trips – because you’ll need several to do Rome justice.
A little note on Tripadvisor’s methodology
“The Travellers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best title celebrates the highest level of excellence in travel. It’s awarded to those who receive a high volume of above-and-beyond reviews and opinions from the Tripadvisor community over a 12-month period. Out of our 8 million listings, fewer than 1% achieve this milestone.”
So say TripAdvisor on their website. It’s the visitors who vote, and who are we to disagree unless we’ve been there.
However, what I would say is there’s a lot more to Italy than the big cities and islands. Explore the beautiful villages and lesser-known spots for a take on Italy beyond the monuments.
Buon Viaggio!
