Europe's Most Underrated Golf Destination
Italy is the country Americans know best and golfers know least. More than 400 golf clubs dot the peninsula — from the glacial lakes of Lombardy to the Tuscan Maremma, the Roman campagna, and the Venetian plain — and the average visiting golfer has heard of maybe two of them. That's starting to change: Rome's Marco Simone Golf & Country Club hosted the 2023 Ryder Cup, the first time the event was played in continental Europe in decades, and it has put Italian golf on every serious golfer's radar.
What makes Italy special is what makes Italy Italy — the setting. A round at Circolo Golf Villa d'Este wraps through a 16th-century chestnut forest above Lake Como, with Alpine peaks on the far horizon. Argentario Golf Club sits in a Tuscan nature reserve overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Castelconturbia runs through a glacial valley near the Swiss border. You play for the round, and you stay for the 19th hole — a long lunch of pasta, prosciutto, and a bottle of Barolo under a pergola that's older than most American states.
Italian golf breaks naturally into four regions: the Northern Lakes (Lombardy's Como, Maggiore, and Varese, plus Piedmont) — home to the country's oldest and most storied clubs; Tuscany, where you pair golf with Chianti, Florence, and the Maremma coast; Rome & Central Italy, anchored by the Ryder Cup-hosting Marco Simone; and the Venetian North-East, where Palladian villas and Adriatic coast meet parkland courses in the hills north of Venice. Every region repays a visit.
Italy Itineraries
Our three starter Italy itineraries — each a distinct way to experience Italian golf. Custom journeys are our specialty; these are a launch point.
Italy's Greatest Courses
From Europe's newest major venue to one of its oldest — these are the Italian courses on every serious traveler's list.
Four Distinct Regions
Each Italian golf region pairs great courses with an entirely different cultural experience. Explore them below.
Northern Lakes — Como, Maggiore & Lombardy
Italy's golf crown jewel. The glacial lakes of Lombardy and Piedmont — Como, Maggiore, Varese, and Garda — concentrate more than a century of Italian golfing history in a single drivable region. Menaggio & Cadenabbia, founded in 1907 by English expats, is the second-oldest club in Italy. A short drive south, Villa d'Este at Montorfano is routinely called "Italy's Augusta" — a championship par-69 that's hosted the Italian Open a dozen times.
Thirty minutes further on you'll find Monticello's 36 holes (the Rosso course has hosted seven Italian Opens), the Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed 27 holes at Castelconturbia, and the lakeside Varese with its vintage clubhouse. Between rounds: Bellagio's villa gardens, Villa del Balbianello on the water, Milan's Duomo and Brera, and long afternoon boat rides across Lake Como.
Top Attractions
- Bellagio & Varenna villages
- Villa del Balbianello
- Isola Bella, Lake Maggiore
- Milan's Duomo & Last Supper
- Lake Como villa cruises
- Ferrari & Lamborghini factory tours
- Stresa promenade
- Orta San Giulio
Tuscany — Chianti, Florence & the Maremma
Tuscany built its first golf course in 1889, making the Florence-area Circolo del Golf Ugolino one of the oldest in Italy. But the region's modern golfing identity sits on the coast — the Maremma, a wild stretch of southern Tuscany where Argentario Golf Club and Golf Club Punta Ala deliver championship layouts with the sea always in the frame.
Inland, UNA Poggio dei Medici sits in the Mugello valley north of Florence, and Royal Golf La Bagnaia above Siena pairs a modern course with a medieval-hamlet resort. Do the Uffizi in Florence, drink Brunello in Montalcino, taste truffles in San Miniato, and end your days with a round and a sunset glass of Chianti on a terrace that looks out over cypress-lined ridges. Our clients have asked for Tuscan itineraries more than any other Italian region.
Top Attractions
- Florence — Duomo & Uffizi
- Siena & Piazza del Campo
- Chianti wine region
- San Gimignano towers
- Montalcino Brunello tastings
- Pisa Leaning Tower
- Tuscan cooking classes
- Terme di Saturnia hot springs
Rome & Central Italy — The Ryder Cup Region
Rome stepped onto the world golf stage in 2023, hosting the 45th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club just north-east of the city. Europe won a historic home match — and the course is now open to visiting golfers. Pair a round there with the country's oldest club, Acquasanta (founded 1903), or the parkland Olgiata (a Cotton & Sutton design) twenty minutes from the city.
There's no destination in the world where the culture-to-golf ratio is higher. The Colosseum, the Vatican, the Forum, a trattoria dinner in Trastevere, a day trip to Orvieto or Tivoli's Villa d'Este — play in the mornings and spend your afternoons walking 2,700 years of history. For a quieter base, the hill towns of Umbria (Assisi, Perugia) are a short drive north.
Top Attractions
- The Colosseum & Roman Forum
- Vatican & Sistine Chapel
- Trevi Fountain & Pantheon
- Trastevere neighborhood
- Villa d'Este, Tivoli
- Orvieto hilltop town
- Assisi Basilica
- Castel Gandolfo
Venice & the North-East — Veneto & the Dolomites
The Veneto plain stretching inland from Venice is dotted with Palladian villas, Prosecco vineyards, and an under-appreciated golf scene. The Arnold Palmer-designed Ca' della Nave outside Venice and Golf Club Albarella on a private island in the Venetian lagoon offer two very different experiences within an hour of St Mark's Square.
Further north, the Dolomite foothills hide summer-season gems like Golf Club Petersberg — Alpine courses that are playable May through October and surrounded by UNESCO-protected peaks. Between rounds: a gondola in Venice, a day in Verona's Roman Arena, a tasting at the Prosecco cellars around Valdobbiadene, and a scenic drive through the Dolomites that rivals any in Europe.
Top Attractions
- Venice — St Mark's & the Grand Canal
- Verona & the Roman Arena
- Palladian Villas of the Veneto
- Prosecco hills (UNESCO)
- Dolomites & Cortina d'Ampezzo
- Lake Garda shores
- Padua & Giotto's frescoes
- Venetian islands (Murano, Burano)
Featured Accommodations
From the 16th-century Grand Hotel Villa d'Este to a Rosewood in the heart of Tuscan wine country — Italian accommodations are destinations in themselves.
Best Time to Play Italy
Peak Season: April – June, September – October
Spring and early autumn are Italy's golf sweet spot: 65-80°F, dry mornings, long evenings, and courses at their manicured best. September is particularly special in Tuscany — the grape harvest, fewer tourists, and perfect fairway turf.
Summer & the Heat
July and August can touch 95°F in Rome and the Tuscan inland — tee off at 7:30am and you'll be fine, but midday rounds are uncomfortable. The Northern Lakes stay cooler (low 80s) and are excellent in high summer.
Regional & Seasonal Closures
The Northern Lakes and Piedmont courses close roughly December through February (snow). Tuscany and Rome play year-round but winter can be wet. Plan carefully — ask us and we'll steer you toward what's open.
The Shoulder Advantage
Italy in late September and October is our favourite time: harvest dinners, shorter lines at the Uffizi and the Vatican, and a noticeable drop in resort rates after Ferragosto. Couples and wine-loving groups especially love this window.