There are so many Instagrammable places in Italy! I could probably write about 1,000 of them, but I’ll narrow it down to just a few spots in Milan, Florence, and Venice, the 3 cities I visited on my first trip to Italy in September 2023. This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Find out more here.
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For me an instagrammable spot is just a very beautiful place. A location where I want to take a picture so I can remember what I saw on my trip. That’s it.
Even though I have a reasonable Instagram following I am not the type of travel content creator that will spend time finding the perfect photo locations. You will never catch me running around in flowy dresses in front of attractions. Hell, I almost never wear dresses. I’m all about pants and comfort.
I will also rarely wake up at 5am to go shoot at a location so there’s no tourists in the pictures. I’m a normal person, a regular traveler, and I want to show you the reality of all places I visit.
While some people might find those highly edited pictures with no people in them pretty, I find them fake. They distort reality and you will be disappointed when you visit one of those places and see how different it looks. So I will never do major edits to my photos. What you see here and on my Instagram is what you get in real life. Let’s normalize authentic experiences, shall we?
Instagrammable places in Milan
I feel like Milan is an underrated destination in Italy. A lot of people skip it in favor of other places like Florence or Cinque Terre. I think Milan is an awesome city that blends history with modern so well. And it has some of the most breathtaking Instagrammable places in Italy.
The Duomo Plaza
The Duomo is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. So naturally, a picture in front of it is a must for your Instagram feed. I’ve been to a lot of places in Europe and the Milan Duomo remains my favorite Gothic building.
The Plaza is such a vibrant place. There’s lots of people walking around, there’s pigeons, there’s people trying to sell you things. There’s a lot of life here. And this energy is one of my favorite things about a city.
After you take all the pictures, sit down on the steps in front of the Duomo for a few minutes and just take it all in. People watch, stare at the Duomo behind you, sing some Italian songs with the buskers. The time I spent on those steps and everything I saw is one of my most cherished memories from Milan.
The Duomo rooftop terraces
After you marvel at the Duomo from the plaza and you take in the energy of the place, head upstairs to the rooftop terraces. There are so many good photo ops here: the details of the Gothic architecture, the view from above, the terraces. So beautiful!
I’m a huge fan of beautiful architecture and I could have spent hours here just staring at all the details. I’m not a huge fan of museums but put me on the rooftop of a pretty building and I’m a happy girl. Also, why did we stop making buildings that look like this?
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is the OG shopping center. Today’s malls could never compete with it. Everything deserves to be photographed here: the arches, the shops, the floors. They are all so gorgeous!
Speaking of the floor, don’t miss the mosaic of a bull. Apparently if you spin 3 times with your heel on the bull’s uhmmm, body part in between its legs, it will bring you good fortune. Everyone is laughing and having such a great time when doing this. I love this tradition!
Bosco Verticale
Bosco Verticale means the Vertical Forest. The architects did such a great job of combining the modern skyscraper architecture with sustainability elements by adding plants to it. The two buildings are residential. I don’t know about you, but I would love to live here. It’s a unique building complex and it received many international awards, so I think it deserves a spot on the Instagrammable places in Italy list.
Gelato at Cafe Dante
Cafe Dante is an Insta-famous gelato place in Milan. The real hero and the person who contributed to this place becoming viral, is this guy pictured above. He makes the prettiest gelato cones, is super friendly, and doesn’t mind when a large group of people take pictures and videos of him in action. You should get some gelato, and he should get a raise.
Instagrammable places in Florence
Ah, Florence, the birthplace of Renaissance. A city with so many works of art and exquisite architecture. It’s like you go back in time when you get here. A must visit for every art lover out there. And even if you’re not an art afficionado there will be a lot of things waiting for you in Florence.
The Duomo complex
Top of the list is the Duomo area. There are actually 6 major attractions here: the cathedral, Filippo Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, The Baptistery of St. John, Opera del Duomo Museum, and the ancient basilica of Santa Reparata.
They are all beautiful and make the perfect photo background. You can also visit them all with a 3-day pass so you can get some pictures on the inside as well.
Piazza della Signoria
Another place that made the cut for the list of Instagrammable places in Italy is Piazza della Signoria, home of Palazzo Vecchio and Loggia dei Lanzi. It is not just the most important square in Florence since this is where you find the town hall, but it is also one of the most beautiful ones. The Plaza is basically an open-air museum of Italian Renaissance art and it’s perfect for a photo shoot.
Wine windows
How cool is it to get a glass of wine through a wine window? It’s also the perfect photo spot – you holding a glass of wine next to the wine window.
These buchette del vino were used in the 17th century during the bubonic plague to serve wine without spreading the disease. It looks like wine was as much of a priority in the 17th century as it is today.
Ponte Vecchio
For the best photo op, walk away from Ponte Vecchio so the bridge can be in the background of your photo. I love the little jewelry stores along the bridge. It’s such a unique feature. It looks like even Hitler might have been fond of Ponte Vecchio since it was the only bridge in Florence that was not destroyed during World War II. Definitely one of the top Instagrammable places in Italy.
Piazzale Michelangelo
This is the square on top of a hill that has the most beautiful view of Florence. Those panoramic photos of Florence you see on Instagram? They were all taken here. Beyond the gorgeous views you can also find bronze replicas of Michelangelo’s statues and the Rose Garden on your way to the Piazzale.
Instagrammable places in Venice
How could I create a list of Instagrammable spots in Italy and not include Venice? The feeling I got when I stepped out of the train station and I saw Venice for the first time was that this place is not real. It looks like it’s a city from a fairytale. I had to pinch myself a few times to make sure I’m not dreaming.
The entirety of Venice is Instagrammable. Seriously, you won’t find a single ugly place here. But I narrowed it down to 5 spots that are jaw dropping.
Caffè Florian
Caffè Florian is the oldest Italian coffeehouse and it has been operating since the 1700’s. Just imagine sipping on a cappuccino in the same spot as people from centuries ago. So amazing! Plus, the entire place is so beautiful.
They have both outdoor and indoor seating. Outdoors they have a live orchestra that plays music to the delight of guests from all over the world. They create a wonderful atmosphere by chatting with the patrons. They ask the guests where they are from, what brings them to Venice, and then they dedicate a song to them.
It makes everyone feel very special. It was an extra special experience for me because all members of the live orchestra are Romanian. So we chatted in Romanian for a few minutes and they played a Romanian song for me (Drumurile Noastre by Dan Spătaru). A memory that I’ll cherish forever.
The indoor seating makes you feel like you’re royalty. Red velvet (literally, not the cake), golden decor, adorned ceilings. It’s entirely up to you if you want to sit indoors or outdoors, and there’s no wrong choice. The caffè is on the pricy side, but I think it’s worth experiencing it.
Grand Canal
The Grand Canal offers some of the most impressive views of Venice. There are countless gondolas floating on the Grand Canal and the sound of gondoliers singing “Volare oh-oh, Cantare oh-oh-oh-oh” to tourists is still such a vivid memory for me. It’s a must stop for pictures, both from the shore and from a gondola.
Rialto Bridge
There are over 400 bridges in Venice, but Rialto Bridge is probably the most famous one. It offers an amazing view of the canal, and it’s bigger than the other bridges. Both taking a picture of the bridge and a picture of the view from the bridge should be on your bucket list.
Libreria Acqua Alta
This is probably one of the most famous bookstores in the world. The owners did such a great job of creating Instagrammable spots across the entire shop. There’s a gondola with books inside, and mountains of books in the little courtyard outside.
This spot became an Instagram sensation and nowadays it’s always packed with people who just want to snap a picture. If you go here make sure you take a look at the books as well, and even buy something if you can, so we can all ensure this bookstore continues to thrive over the years.
Any street in Venice
All corners of Venice are extremely beautiful. In fact, Venice should probably be at the top of the list of all Instagrammable places in Italy. My advice is to get lost in the little streets and bridges and explore this magical place as much as you can. Make sure you have your camera or phone with you so you can snap lots of pictures.
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