Want to explore Italy at your own pace while actually understanding what you’re seeing? These self-guided audio tours let you do exactly that.
Created by the A History of Italy Podcast, each tour blends history, storytelling, and a touch of humour.
👇 Pick a city and start your next adventure.
Northern Italy
Turin – Empire to Elegance
Grand palaces, mystery, and royal intrigue.🎧 View Tour
Explore Turin from its Roman origins to its time as Italy’s first capital. Along the way, you’ll encounter grand boulevards, royal palaces, and a city full of mystery and symbolism. It’s elegant, a little enigmatic, and full of stories most visitors never hear.
Pavia – Kingdom’s Capital
Medieval streets packed with power and history.🎧 View Tour
Once the capital of a powerful kingdom, Pavia is a small city with a big past. This walk takes you through medieval streets where kings ruled, battles were fought, and history quietly shaped Italy’s future.
Bergamo – The Most Beautiful Corner
Hilltop views, walls, and unforgettable stories.🎧 View Tour
Perched on a hill and wrapped in Venetian walls, Bergamo is one of Italy’s true hidden gems. This tour mixes stunning views with quirky stories, giving you a sense of both the beauty and the character of the city.
Brescia – The Lioness of Italy
Rebellion, resilience, and centuries of change.🎧 View Tour
Brescia has earned its fierce nickname through centuries of struggle and resilience. From Roman ruins to more modern conflicts, this tour reveals a city that has constantly fought to define itself.
Trento – Gateway to Europe
Alpine culture meets history and politics.🎧 View Tour
In Trento, Italian and Central European influences blend together in fascinating ways. You’ll explore a city shaped by religion, politics, and culture—most famously as the setting of the Council of Trent, which changed the course of history.
Vicenza – Palladio’s Playground
Architecture that shaped the world.🎧 View Tour
Vicenza is the perfect place to see how one architect can transform a city. Andrea Palladio’s designs didn’t just shape Vicenza—they influenced architecture across the world. This tour brings his vision (and the city behind it) to life.
Treviso – Little Venice
Canals, calm, and hidden charm.🎧 View Tour
Often overshadowed by nearby Venice, Treviso offers a quieter, more relaxed beauty. With its canals, frescoed buildings, and elegant streets, this tour is all about discovering a city that rewards those who take their time.
Mantua – City of Lakes
Powerful families and elegant history.🎧 View Tour
Surrounded by water and steeped in culture, Mantua was once ruled by the powerful Gonzaga family. This tour explores a refined and atmospheric city where art, politics, and ambition all played their part.
Emilia-Romagna
Parma – Culinary Capital
History, art, and unforgettable flavours.🎧 View Tour
Parma is famous for its food, but there’s much more to it than that. This tour blends culinary tradition with art, history, and a slightly rebellious spirit that has shaped the city over the centuries.
Modena – Food & Ferrari
Fast cars and deep roots.🎧 View Tour
Modena is a place of contrasts: ancient streets and cutting-edge engineering, slow food and fast cars. This tour ties it all together, showing how history and innovation sit side by side.
Bologna – The Red City
Stories, towers, and personality.🎧 View Tour
Bologna is known for its food, its towers, and its politics—but it’s the stories that really bring it to life. This tour takes you through a city that’s intellectual, rebellious, and never short on personality.
Ravenna – Rome to Byzantium
Mosaics and shifting empires.🎧 View Tour
Few places in Italy show the transition from the Roman world to the Byzantine quite like Ravenna. Famous for its dazzling mosaics, this city tells a story of shifting empires and enduring beauty.
Rimini – Rome to Renaissance
More than beaches—layers of history.🎧 View Tour
Rimini may be known for its beaches today, but its past is far richer than most people realise. This tour traces its journey from a Roman colony to a Renaissance centre of power.
Veneto
Venice – Bacari & Culture
A fun cultural pub crawl.🎧 View Tour
This is Venice with a twist. As you explore the city, you’ll also discover its food and wine culture, stopping at traditional bacari along the way. It’s history, but with a glass in hand.
Venice – Politics & Power
Trade, intrigue, and ambition.🎧 View Tour
Venice was once one of the most powerful states in the world. This tour dives into the political system, the intrigue, and the ambition that allowed a city built on water to dominate the Mediterranean.
Central Italy
Siena – Beauty & Rivalry
Tradition and intense pride.🎧 View Tour
Siena is intense—in the best possible way. From the rivalry of its districts to the famous Palio, this tour explores a city where tradition, identity, and passion run deep.
Perugia – Hidden Stories
Art, mystery, and winding streets.🎧 View Tour
Perugia is a place of layers, where Etruscan, medieval, and Renaissance history all overlap. This tour guides you through its winding streets, uncovering stories that are easy to miss.
Assisi – Saints & Conflict
Faith, rebellion, transformation.🎧 View Tour
Best known as the home of St Francis, Assisi has a history that goes far beyond one figure. This tour explores faith, conflict, and change in a town that has seen it all.
San Marino – Oldest Republic
Tiny country, huge history.🎧 View Tour
Tiny but proud, San Marino claims to be the oldest republic in the world. This tour takes you through its dramatic setting and fascinating history of independence.
Rome
St Peter’s Basilica
Art, symbolism, and Renaissance power.🎧 View Tour
Step inside St Peter’s Basilica and uncover the stories behind one of the most famous buildings in the world. Art, symbolism, and power all come together in this deep dive into the Renaissance.
Rome – Renaissance Walk
Popes, artists, and intrigue.🎧 View Tour
This walk through Rome explores a period when art and power were closely intertwined. From popes to painters, the Renaissance left its mark everywhere—and this tour helps you see it.
Rome – Power in the Modern City
Politics across centuries.🎧 View Tour
Rome isn’t just ancient history. This tour connects past and present, showing how power has evolved in the city from emperors to modern politics.
Southern Italy
Naples – Blood and Passion
Energy, pride, and history collide.🎧 View Tour
Naples is loud, chaotic, and full of life—and its history reflects that. This tour captures the energy of a city shaped by conflict, culture, and fierce local pride.
Naples – Italy at its Most Italian
Chaos, culture, and charm.🎧 View Tour
If you want to understand Italy at its most intense and authentic, Naples is the place. This tour dives into its layered past, from ancient Greek roots to modern-day vibrancy.
Taranto – City of Two Seas
Greek roots and dramatic coastline.🎧 View Tour
With its unique geography and deep history, Taranto offers a different perspective on southern Italy. Greek origins, strategic importance, and a dramatic setting all come together here.
How the Audio Tours Work
Exploring Italy doesn’t have to mean rushing to keep up with a group or reading guidebooks on the go. These tours are designed to feel more like a podcast in your ear—guiding you as you walk, without getting in the way of the experience.
Here’s how it works:
1. Choose Your City
Pick the tour that fits your trip—whether it’s the streets of Rome, the canals of Venice, or somewhere a little more off the beaten path. Each one is designed as a complete walking experience, with a clear route and story.
2. Buy & Download
Once you’ve chosen your tour, you’ll be taken to the VoiceMap app to purchase it. After that, just download it to your phone while you’re on WiFi and you’re ready to go.
✔ You get lifetime access—so you can listen before your trip, during your visit, or even afterwards.
3. Head to the Starting Point
Each tour begins at a specific location. Put in your headphones, tap “start,” and you’re off.
4. Walk and Listen
The app uses GPS to play audio automatically based on where you are. That means:
- 🎧 Stories play exactly when you reach each location
- 🗺️ You get simple, clear directions along the way
- 📱 You can keep your phone in your pocket and just enjoy the walk
It’s like having a knowledgeable guide with you—without the group.
5. Go at Your Own Pace
Want to stop for a coffee? Take photos? Pop into a museum? Go for it.
- Pause anytime
- Take breaks as long as you like
- Pick up exactly where you left off
No schedules. No pressure.
Why People Love These Tours
- 🎙️ It feels like a podcast – engaging stories, not dry facts
- 🧭 GPS-guided – no getting lost or constantly checking maps
- 📶 Works offline – no data roaming needed once downloaded
- 👣 Total flexibility – start anytime, stop anytime
- 👥 No crowds – just you (and whoever you’re travelling with)
Good to Know
- You only need one purchase per person using the tour
- The tours are priced in US dollars, but you can pay in your local currency
- Best experienced with headphones for full immersion
- Most tours are outdoor walking routes, but some (like St Peter’s) are best enjoyed at a slower pace
In short: you get all the insight of a guided tour, with none of the downsides.
👉 Just press play—and let Italy tell you its story.