Tell an Unusual Holiday Story: Quirky Things to do in Italy

So you’ve re-enacted the touch of God in St Peter’s Basilica with your best mate, toured the Colosseum, been up and down (and up and down) Mount Vesuvius and posed on a Venetian gondola. You’re something of an Italian connoisseur, in fact. But, despite having ‘done it all’, you keep coming back because Italy has your heart.

In this post we will offer you suggestions of things to do in Italy we can almost guarantee you’ve never done before, so you can head back home to dazzle said best mate with the awesome adventures you had this time on your Italian travels. They’ll be sad they stayed at home instead.

Quirky Pizza and Gelato

It isn’t one of the quirkiest things to in Italy to consume your bodyweight in pizza, gelato and wine. But you probably haven’t prepared this exquisite cuisine for yourself with the help of a traditional Italian chef. With this Walkabout Florence cooking class, you can learn to cook Italian delicacies from the very best in a gorgeous Tuscan farmhouse with a backdrop of lush Italian countryside.

Find out how to knead dough the right way and how to perfectly season your pizza topping with ingredients picked fresh from the herb garden to create a taste explosion. Take home your new-found culinary expertise and wow your friends and family with food that puts Pizza Hut to shame. If you’re looking for more authentic things to do in Italy, get hands on with the dough and tomato. Check out this sparkling review to whet your appetite:

"This was by far our favourite thing we did in Italy. [The hosts] Luca and Max were absolutely phenomenal and made the experience incredibly entertaining… someone needs to get [them] a full time TV show. They are superstars!"

5 Stars on TripAdvisor, 487jaredr

Secret Sorrento Ruins

Maybe you’ve camped next to several Northern Italian lakes, combed Milan for its glamour and fashion, and then ventured over to Cinque Terre for a slice of natural beauty, but the South of Italy remains a fairly uncharted zone. This is why Sorrento, a gem on the Amalfi coastline, is a fantastic place to visit. Packed full of beachy charm, Sorrento is home to lots of small antique shops for a prime shopping experience as well as several lesser known attractions.

Il Vallone dei Mulini, a mountain cleft home to an ancient wheat mill ruin overgrown with vegetation, is a natural and architectural delight tucked away in Via Fuorimura. People end up stumbling across it purely by chance whilst hiking or because their hotel is nestled into the surrounding hillside and offers a surprise view. However, several Sorrento walking tours will allow you to glimpse this fairy tale mill if you fancy pretending you’re in Snow White or Disney’s Tangled for half a day. If you want less touristy things to do in Italy, Il Vallone dei Mulini is the hidden gem for you.

The Park of Monsters

Maybe you’ve tried all the Amalfi coast beaches and are looking to trade your snorkel for something a little spookier. Enter the Park of Monsters, the garden of Bomarzo’s shocking and terrible twist. Commissioned by Prince Pier Francesco Orsini in 1552, this garden full of leering monster sculptures and gaping gargoyles was designed as an expression of bereavement after Orsini suffered many years of war, imprisonment and personal loss.

Discover the carnivalesque results of a man’s grief when it conjoins with Renaissance architectural experimentation. Walk the gardens and encounter a war elephant, a giant ripping another giant in half, a mutated fish-head, and an enormous cave in the shape of a screaming face whose caption reads “all reason departs”. If you’re looking for culture with a side of shock, the park of Monsters in Bomarzo will prove one of the most memorable things to do in Italy.

Vintage Vespas and Fiat 500s

If you want things to do in Italy that won’t give you nightmares, you may find the Walkabout Florence Vintage Vespa and Fiat 500 tours more up your street. This is your chance to have an exhilarating ride through Tuscany’s beautiful countryside. Weave through roads peppered with castles, vineyards and olive groves on your Vespa before heading back into Florence to dazzle the on-foot tourists. Pose with an authentic 1960’s Fiat 500 before driving it through some of Italy’s most exquisite scenery.

You also get to sample some delicious Italian cheese, prosciutto and Chianti wine (only one glass, though!) along the way. Although these are separate tours, both boast excellent reviews and offer you the chance to do something truly quirky on your holiday. If you’re hesitant to jump on that Vespa with the verve of a true Italian, check out what this ecstatic customer had to say on Trip Advisor:

"Definitely out of my comfort zone, but in the end this may have been the best part of our trip! Stephano led us around in his fiat and kept a close watch. The views and Stephano were great!"

5 Stars on TripAdvisor, 383leslieb

Although these tours are available through Trip Advisor, booking directly through the Walkabout Florence website gives you a small discount. If you’re looking for quirky things to do in Italy, be sure to check out the website for the best deals.

If this guide to squeezing the secrets out of Italy has encouraged you to hop on a plane, be sure to get in touch with the Walkabout Florence team. Our handcrafted tours offer the perfect blend of excitement, picture-perfect surroundings and expertise. Book your tour today and prepare to be mesmerised by all the great things to do in Italy.

We Are Walkabout Florence

Here atWalkabout Florence, we provide our guests with unique tour experiences that aim to celebrate Italy’s natural beauty, be it on a hike, Vespa tour or wine tasting session. Our array of meticulously designed group tours promise to make your trip to Italy a memorable time.

Walkabout Florence is in the business of offering the best possible Italian experiences. We can assure you that you’ll be heading home with a smile to rival an Italian in an authentic pizzeria. Book online today and support our independent business.