If there was any doubt in our mind from the masses crowding seemingly every piazza in every major Italian city, the data tells us the same story: tourism is back. In 2024, roughly 1.4 billion tourists traveled internationally, essentially returning to pre-pandemic levels, according to UN Tourism. That also came with real money behind it—tourist spending hit a total of $1.6 trillion last year. Italy is among the world’s top five tourism earners, and it saw a 23% increase in tourism revenue for most of last year compared to 2019. 

But despite their sheer numbers, the tourists that come to enjoy this country’s gleaming waters, its rugged mountains, and the many art capitals that dot its landscape are only seeing a small fraction of the actual country. Roughly 70% of international tourists are centered on only one percent of Italy’s territory, per data presented at a 2023 cultural tourism conference.